The defender Murillo of Nottingham Forest is apparently being targeted by many European teams for a transfer.
The 21-year-old chose to leave Corinthians in a transfer reportedly worth €15 million, and he didn’t move to the City Ground until the end of August.
Since then, Murillo has demonstrated the abilities needed to leave a lasting impact in the Premier League. Since making his debut at the beginning of October, he has made 23 starts and has essentially established himself as the team’s first-choice center defense.
Despite Forest’s overall poor performance this season, Murillo has been one of the team’s bright spots under both Steve Cooper and Nuno Espirito Santo.
Murillo signed a five-year deal with Forest, but his play has made sure that he will draw interest come summertime, come playoff time or Championship relegation for the East Midlands team.
Due to Forest’s financial difficulties—they were given a four-point deduction earlier this week for violating the Premier League’s rules regarding profit and sustainability—the situation is made more difficult.
Furthermore, rumors have it that Forest will need to make another large-scale sale by June 30 in order to guarantee that the requirements are followed, failing which it may face additional penalties.
The Daily Mail claims that Murillo is attracting enough attention to warrant a genuine chance of receiving the necessary amount of funding.
The scenario is reportedly being watched by up to six elite European teams, including Chelsea, who could be looking to replace Thiago Silva with a younger player before the veteran’s expected exit on a free transfer
Chelsea, however, may have to wait until after the previously mentioned June 30 deadline for account filings, as they too are under pressure to adhere to the requirements.
The other teams listed as Murillo’s admirers are Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Arsenal, Liverpool, and Newcastle United.
Every club has some Brazilian representation, both on and off the field, but PSG, like Chelsea, has been the most active in the Brazilian market recently, having signed Gabriel Moscardo and Lucas Beraldo.
Murillo and Moscardo were teammates at Corinthians, where Murillo made his senior debut in April, while Moscardo made his debut only two months later.