Chelsea have approached Nottingham Forest about signing ‘very’ valuable star, it’s not Morgan Gibbs-White

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Nottingham Forest star Morgan Gibbs-White could well leave the City Ground this summer, with interest in his signature thought to be rife.

Manchester City were keen admirers of Gibbs-White but baulked at the £70 million valuation placed on his head by Evangelos Marinakis.

Other players are in the sights of huge clubs, too. Anthony Elanga is being courted by Newcastle, although Forest are protected in that sense, with the player under contract until 2028.

After finishing seventh in the Premier League last season, lots of Forest stars are being targeted, and it will be a real challenge for the Reds to keep hold of everyone this summer.

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Chelsea place Murillo on transfer shortlist

According to Caught Offside, the central defender is still firmly in the sights of Chelsea after previously being linked with a move to Stamford Bridge.

Murillo was in fine form during the 2024/25 campaign, missing just two Premier League games and scoring a couple of goals for the Reds.

At 22-years-old, Murillo has collected his first Brazil cap and last season he also put pen to paper on a new five-year contract at the City Ground.

Chelsea pipped Forest to a Champions League place on the last day of the season, and have now placed the Reds’ star player on their shortlist this summer.

Forest hold the aces with Murillo

If Forest are going to lose one big player this summer, it shouldn’t be Murillo, with the player a cornerstone of a resolute defensive unit last season.

Murillo was praised by Ian Wright last season, and alongside the man-mountain Nikola Milenkovic, the Reds had arguably the best central defensive pairing not called Gabriel and William Saliba in the Premier League.

Given that the player has penned a five-year contract, there is absolutely no pressure to sell and it’d be a big surprise if he were to leave the East Midlands this summer.

Murillo is undoubtedly destined for very big things in the world of football, but right now, his development is served extremely well by playing regularly with Forest on a weekly basis.

Next season, the UEFA Conference League comes to Trentside, and the Brazilian will be a big part of the team in that tournament, with Forest likely to fancy winning the competition.

It’s natural that Chelsea like Murillo, but in the short term, it’s unlikely that he’s for sale, and they’d perhaps be wise to look elsewhere for defensive reinforcements.