Chelsea target Nottingham Forest ace who’s ‘likely’ to leave; Real Madrid also scouting him

Chelsea are long-term admirers of Nottingham Forest star Murillo and are primed to make a summer approach, with the fee required to sign the centre-back confirmed to TEAMtalk.

The Blues are set to be one of the busiest clubs in the summer transfer window as they look to add quality in positions that are crying out for investment.

Enzo Maresca is keen to strengthen his options at centre-back and Chelsea have already begun doing their due diligence on key targets.

Sources have confirmed that Chelsea made an approach to Murillo’s agents in January, although they fell short of making a direct bid to Forest.

The London side made the decision to hold off and wait until the summer before spending bid on a new defender.

Murillo is one of Forest’s most important players and is a key reason why they currently sit third in the Premier League table. The 22-year-old has played in all but one of their league games this season, helping his side to keep nine clean sheets in the process.

Sources state that many clubs have sent scouts to watch Murillo’s performances over the last year and Chelsea are among them.

READ MORE: Chelsea plan £99m double summer swoop as BOTH players open to transfer

Murillo ‘likely’ to leave Nott’m Forest – sources

Some sources have stated that Real Madrid‘s scouts have also been in attendance at Forest matches to watch Murillo in action, but their interest is in its early stages.

The LaLiga giants generally scout players two years before they plan to move for them so Murillo is thought to be a future target for Madrid rather than one for the summer.

Chelsea could face competition for Murillo and TEAMtalk understands that Forest would only consider bids in the region of £70million.

If they qualify for the Champions League, it may take even more to lure him from Nuno Espirito Santo’s side. Murillo is under contract until 2029, so that puts the Tricky Trees in a strong position.

He is not the only option on Chelsea’s shortlist. As we reported on Monday, Bournemouth star Dean Huijsen is also on their radar after the 19-year-old has impressed this term.

Huijsen is a more likely signing than Murillo for Chelsea at this stage but the Blues could move for more than one new centre-back so we can’t rule out an approach for the Forest stalwart.

We understand that Murillo would be interested in a switch to Stamford Bridge despite Forest’s excellent form and potential qualification for the Champions League.

In fact, some sources have gone as far to say that he is ‘likely’ to leave the City Ground in the summer and Forest are well aware that offers are set to arrive.

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IN FOCUS: Murillo compared with Chelsea’s main centre-backs