Whilst Nottingham Forest are yet to sign any new players in the January window, their most important piece of business was completed by signing Murillo to a new contract.
Murillo signed a new Forest deal on Tuesday, providing a well-deserved award to one of Nuno Espirito Santo’s most impressive performers this season.
Crucially for Forest, no release provision was added into Murillo’s contract, allowing the Forest manager peace of mind that he can rely on the Brazilian centre-back for the foreseeable future.
Murillo has been the highlight in Forest’s amazing defensive this season, pairing superbly with Nikola Milenkovic to help their side keep nine clean sheets in the Premier League campaign, only matched by league leaders, Liverpool.
Liverpool expressed interest in signing Murillo as a long-term replacement for Virgil van Dijk, which was likely fueled by football fans’ praise for Murillo’s performance against Liverpool in a January draw.
While Evangelos Marinakis may have anticipated that the new deal would dampen interest in Murillo for a while, recent reports have linked Barcelona with the Brazilian, leading Forest to demand a gigantic price for their top player.
Barcelona has expressed interest in Nottingham Forest’s Murillo.
According to Spanish media outlet Sport, Murillo’s performances at the City Ground have piqued the interest of Barcelona, who are the latest major European club to investigate into the Brazilian.
Barcelona’s rivals Real Madrid have scouted Murillo this season in anticipation of a future deal, although this occurred before the defender signed his new contract, which has certainly not discouraged Barcelona.
According to the source, the Spanish giants began looking at Murillo last summer, keeping an eye on his development in order to perfectly plan their approach.
Another element in this time is their expectation that Murillo may seek a move away from Forest at some point, unable to resist the temptation of joining one of Europe’s most successful teams.
Alan Shearer has hailed Murillo this season as the Brazilian emerges as one of the game’s best defensive talents, making it appear unlikely that Marinakis will be able to keep him on the Forest roster for much longer.
However, the fee Forest may charge for Murillo may deter some of his suitors for a while.
Nottingham Forest will want a world record fee for Murillo.
The story went on to speculate on how much cash-strapped Barcelona could have to pay for Murillo, a figure that many people may find impossible to afford.
Forest will demand £80 million to lure the star Brazilian away from the City Ground, matching the global record sum for a defender in football.
Jamie Carragher has had qualms about Murillo due to his size which may turn off the elite teams, but his fantastic displays for Forest have undoubtedly put those issues to bed.
Even Chelsea have considered Murillo in the past to improve their squad, increasing the number of clubs interested to the point where the Forest owner may be able to start a bidding battle for the defender.
With no release clause in his contract, Marinakis will be allowed to demand whatever amount he believes is fair, which, considering the clubs involved, could likely exceed the £80 million indicated in the story.
