Chelsea had 'record transfer offer' rejected by Premier League rival in January
Chelsea had 'record transfer offer' rejected by Premier League rival in January
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Chelsea's efforts to sign Nottingham Forest defender Murillo in January fell short, with reports claiming Forest passed on what would have been a record fee for one of their players. Brazilian centre-back Murillo has been at the heart of a surprisingly impressive season under Nuno Espirito Santo. His partnership with Nikola Milenkovic at the back has helped Nuno's side climb to third place off the back of the third-best defensive record in the league.
The 22-year-old cost around £10million when he joined Forest from Corinthians in 2023, and his form this term brought senior international recognition for the first time. Murillo was part of Dorival Junior's squad for a pair of World Cup qualifiers against Venezuela and Uruguay in November, though he was unable to displace Arsenal's Gabriel or Paris Saint-Germain captain Marquinhos. It was perhaps little surprise, then, that interest arrived in January. Liverpool have joined Chelsea in being linked with the defender, though it was the latter who tested Forest's resolve - albeit to no avail.
According to The Telegraph, Chelsea's bid arrived early in the window. While the exact amount of the bid has not been made public, it's understood to be more than the £47.5m Forest received from Tottenham for Brennan Johnson in the summer of 2023. The same publication indicates owner Evangelos Marinakis had no plans to entertain a bid of any amount for Murillo. Indeed, the Sao Paulo-born star agreed a contract extension later in January, committing his future to Forest until 2029.
"We dream big, and so does he. He believes in the power of what we are doing at this great club," Marinakis said when the defender's new deal was confirmed. "When we share the same bold ambitions, there is no limit to what we can achieve together.”. Would Murillo be a good fit for Chelsea? Have your say in the comments section. Chelsea and Forest were both busy on transfer deadline day, and indeed throughout the window, albeit with more outs than ins. Forest allowed loanee James Ward-Prowse to return to parent club West Ham, while new signing Tyler Bindon has been allowed to remain at Reading on loan until the summer.
Chelsea confirmed loan exits for Carney Chukwuemeka, Ben Chilwell and Axel Disasi on deadline day, having earlier sent Renato Veiga on loan to Juventus. Another Serie A switch was made official on Tuesday, too, with Joao Felix spending the remainder of the season at AC Milan. Forest sit one place and fourt points ahead of Chelsea in the Premier League table, with 14 games remaining, after both claimed wins during the last round of fixtures. Nuno's side cruised to a 7-0 victory over Brighton on Saturday lunchtime, with Enzo Maresca's Chelsea coming from behind to beat West Ham on Monday night.
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