Murillo is one of the players Chelsea have been linked with for quite some time. The Brazilian international centre-back has proven himself in the Premier League during his time at Nottingham Forest, and might be ready to take the next step in his career. Could that lead him to Stamford Bridge in January?
It is no secret that Chelsea could do with another centre-back right now. Levi Colwill suffered an ACL injury in pre-season and might be out for the entirety of the campaign. On the other hand, the other options they have might not be good enough to help them compete for the top prizes in football.
On the other hand, Nottingham Forest are going through a poor season, even though they have recovered a bit since Sean Dyche's appointment and are now out of the relegation zone. It could lead to key players wanting to leave. Murillo might very well be one of them.
Pete O'Rourke does not foresee Murillo joining Chelsea in the middle of the season though. As reported by Football Insider, the journalist said:
"I would say there’s no chance of a deal happening in January.
“I don’t think Nottingham Forest would consider letting Murillo go midway through the season. He’s under a long-term contract until 2029.
“He was handed a new bumper deal last January just to ward off potential interest from other clubs, the likes of Chelsea and others.
“Chelsea, we know, centre-back maybe is an area of the team that is a bit weak. They have missed Levi Colwill this season due to injury and obviously they have had other players like Fofana who had his injury problems.
“So it is probably an area of the team that Enzo Maresca would like to strengthen, but I don’t see Forest letting Murillo go in January."
Major update on Murillo to Chelsea January transfer move
That is perhaps the most likely outcome. Nottingham Forest need all the help they can get right now, and it is hard to imagine they will let one of their best players leave in the middle of the season with relegation very much a possibility.
That being said, never say never in football. We have seen players like Virgil van Dijk move in the middle of the season. If the right offer is made, anything can happen.
On the other hand, Chelsea might not be in a financial position to make a move of that magnitude in January either. We saw how they had to part ways with players first in order to fund signings in the summer. So, let's just say that it is pretty unlikely that the Blues will look to, or be able to, pull off the signing of Murillo in the middle of this season.