Real Madrid and Liverpool learn of Brazilian gem’s plans as he’s tipped to cost £100m

Real Madrid and Liverpool will not find it easy to sign Murillo, with a report revealing the defender’s current state of mind at Nottingham Forest as Jamie Carragher gives his verdict on whether Los Blancos could get William Saliba from Arsenal.

Murillo has been on the books of Forest since the summer of 2023 when he joined from Brazilian giants Corinthians. The £10million transfer fee that The Tricky Trees paid for the defender has proved to be a bargain, with the 22-year-old centre-back establishing himself as one of the best young players in his position in the Premier League and becoming a key figure in Forest’s charge towards a Champions League place.

The Forest defender has scored one goal in 26 Premier League matches this season, as Nuno’s side find themselves third in the table, above the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea, Newcastle United, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur.

On February 11, TEAMtalk’s transfer correspondent Fraser Fletcher reported that Chelsea and Madrid are interested in signing Murillo from Forest in the summer transfer window.

We understand that Chelsea are long-term admirers of Murillo and made an approach to his agents in January.

Sources have told TEAMtalk that defending Spanish and European champions Madrid have also scouted Murillo regularly this season and have been impressed with his performances for Forest.

According to Rousing The Kop, Liverpool have been monitoring Murillo all season and are considering a summer bid.

The Daily Mail has now given an update on the situation of Murillo, and it seems that Madrid, Liverpool and Chelsea all will have to work extremely hard to get a deal done for the Forest star in the summer transfer window.

While Forest are aware of interest in Murillo from the likes of Madrid, Barcelona, Chelsea, Liverpool and Atletico Madrid, they are not panicking about the Brazilian star’s future and are “relaxed about it”.

Described as a “gem” in The Daily Mail, the defender does not plan on pushing for an exit anytime soon, with it being reported that “thanks to discussions with owner Evangelos Marinakis, Murillo is excited at where Forest are heading”

With Murillo not supposed to demand a move away from the City Ground at the end of the season and Forest likely to clinch a Champions League spot, it would be hard for the defender’s suitors to sign him this summer.

TEAMtalk understands that Forest would only consider bids in the region of £70million for Murillo.

Former Forest striker Stan Collymore, though, believes that Murillo could cost £100million.

Collymore told Goal earlier this month: “There are clubs watching him. From a personal perspective, I would love to see him stay at Forest for the next three, four, five years. He’s signed his new contract.

“Obviously with the season that Forest are having, it is going to be very difficult to keep hold of players. He has got a bit of everything.

“It’s a strange one really because he doesn’t look like a central defender at all – he’s not the tallest, he’s fairly ungainly in the way that he moves around, but he’s a bit of a throwback in terms of liking to defend, likes to get touch-tight with players and get physical and he anticipates things well.

“He may well go on to become the first £100m defender, which for Forest would be an incredible deal if it came. My hope is that he stays for another two or three years.”

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William Saliba warning to Arsenal about Real Madrid

Madrid are not putting all their eggs in one basket when it comes to signing a defender in the summer transfer window.

While Murillo is a target for the LaLiga giants, Los Blancos are also keen on a deal for Arsenal defender William Saliba.

Madrid have already been in contact with the France international centre-back’s agents, and former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has warned Arsenal that they could lose him this summer.

Carragher said on The Overlap US’ show, ‘It’s Called Soccer!’: “There is one player and people will think I’m trying to cause a problem at Arsenal here but I’m not but this again, happened to us at Liverpool.

“Once you don’t win the league or the Champions League, other bigger clubs start thinking, ‘Okay, we can take their player.’ So, for us, it was [Xabi] Alonso, [Javier] Mascherano and [Fernando] Torres.

“And that team that Rafa Benitez has built, players had just been leaving left, right and centre. And I do look at Saliba and I do look at him and think, for me, he looks like a Real Madrid player. I can imagine him in a Real Madrid kit, you look at some of the best centre-backs out there.

“The longer your club doesn’t go with winning, competing you might say, oh, we’re competing for trophies but when you’re as good as someone like him and some of the players we had in our team, like Mascherano goes to the great Barcelona team and Alonso wins the Champions League at Real Madrid, it didn’t happen for Torres, he made the wrong choice at Chelsea.”

Carragher concluded: “That’s my point, the longer you go without winning, people start looking at your players and thinking, ‘Okay, we’re going to take them’ and the players are receptive to it because it’s a short career, they want to be playing in the Champions League final, they want to be winning and listen, that might happen for Arsenal this season but that’s a problem they’ll have going forward if they don’t start winning trophies quickly.”

Latest Real Madrid news: Zubimendi blow, Hernandez competition

Madrid have fallen behind in the race for Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi, according to a report.

The Spanish media has claimed that Arsenal are in pole position to sign Zubimendi from Real Sociedad in the summer transfer window.

The Premier League club are said to be willing to trigger the Spain international midfielder’s release clause of €60 million (£50m, $62m).

Madrid are keen on a deal for Theo Hernandez, but we understand that Manchester City are going to provide Los Blancos with stiff competition for the AC Milan left-back.

TEAMtalk’s Italian football correspondent Rudy Galetti has reported that Hernandez is climbing up the left-back shortlist for Man City.

Sources have told us that Milan are ready to sell Hernandez for a transfer fee of around €35m (£29m, $36.7m), which the defending Premier League champions are willing to pay.

Meanwhile, a Spanish report has noted that Arda Guler’s future at Madrid is up in the air, with something not right between the Turkey international and Los Blancos manager Carlo Ancelotti.

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