Murillo Confirms Chelsea and Arsenal Interest Amid Potential £50m Transfer

Nottingham Forest defender Murillo has revealed that Chelsea are keen on signing him this summer, and he’s open to joining the Blues, Arsenal, Liverpool, or Manchester City.

The 22-year-old Brazilian, who joined Forest last summer from Corinthians, made an impressive 36 appearances in all competitions and was named player of the season.

Murillo has expressed his ambition to move to a bigger club, mentioning on the Brazilian show Os Donos Da Bola that he has attracted interest from several European teams.

Chelsea are actively seeking a new centre-back, even after signing Tosin Adarabioyo, to strengthen their defense following Thiago Silva’s departure and Trevoh Chalobah’s expected exit.

The Premier League giant are also reportedly interested in Arsenal target Riccardo Calafiori.

Murillo addressed Chelsea’s interest on the Benja Me Mucho podcast: “I know there was a buzz of interest. I don’t know exactly how much the [asking price] amount is, but I know there was interest.

“I had the dream of playing in the Premier League and I had that thought. I thought: ‘I’ll go to Nottingham Forest, have a good year and then I’ll go to a big club.’ I had that in my head.”

While Murillo’s reported £50 million price tag might be too high for Chelsea, who are exploring player-plus-cash deals, it opens opportunities for other clubs. Murillo is open to joining various Premier League teams.

“I’d choose Manchester City, but it would be more difficult for me to be a regular starter given the players they have in their squad,” Murillo said. “There’s City, Arsenal as well, who are fighting for the Premier League title.

I wouldn’t discard Liverpool either; it would be a good opportunity for me to show my football at a big club.

“We don’t know anything for certain. The window opened last month, so I’m going to return to Nottingham Forest for pre-season. There might be some discussions on whether I’ll stay or not. There’s a lot of things to happen still, but I’m relaxed.”