Nottingham Forest might find themselves in the market to replace Murillo this summer.
The Brazilian has spent three years strutting his stuff at the City Ground and is now casting admiring glances from all corners of Europe.
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Murillo has been inspirational since checking in from Corinthians, and he would take some serious replacing if the time did come for him to leave.
However, Forest are eyeing contingency plans, it would seem, with a Premier League defender now on the City Ground radar.
Nottingham Forest want Maxime Esteve
According to L’Equipe, Forest are going to rival Everton, Bournemouth and Bayer Leverkusen for the services of the relegated Burnley player this summer.
Esteve won’t be playing in the Championship with Burnley again, with the player believing he’s got what it takes to remain in the Premier League.
The French defender has surpassed the 100-game mark at Turf Moor, but at 23, he’s keen to keep playing top-flight football with a host of clubs now circling.
Esteve has a contract with Burnley until 2030, and naturally, that won’t make signing him easy.
However, Burnley are willing to listen to offers for his services and appear resigned to the fact that Esteve doesn’t want to be part of their fight for promotion back to the Premier League next season.
For context, WhoScored shows that Esteve actually wins more tackles than Murillo, with the French defender winning 44 this season compared to Murillo’s 35 in the Garibaldi during the 2025/26 campaign.
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What Scott Parker said about Maxime Esteve
The form of the defender is largely why ex-Forest star Joe Worrall has struggled for minutes at Burnley since he signed for the club.
Former Clarets boss Scott Parker called Esteve ‘incredible’ at the start of the season, and he was a huge fan of the enforcer.
It’s not clear just how much it would take to bring Esteve to the City Ground, but with Everton and Bournemouth also keen on landing him, the Reds might have to move quickly.
The Reds will eye quality over quantity this summer and at 23, Esteve has plenty of time left on his side, with ample Premier League experience too.
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