Nottingham Forest reportedly rejected a club-record transfer offer to sell Murillo to Chelsea. They were not swayed by the Blues' flexing their cash.
Nottingham Forest are performing above their expected heights this season. The East Midlands side, in their third season back in the top flight, sit third as it stands.
They are on track to qualify for the Champions League next season, which might even be at Chelsea's expense. Let's hope that isn't the case, as it could easily be a four-way battle between Forest, Chelsea, Man City and Newcastle for those third and fourth spots.
Anyway, as far as Chelsea are concerned, they applied an "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" approach in the January transfer window. Indeed, they attempted to sign Nottingham Forest's most prized asset.
Nottingham Forest rejected club-record transfer offer from Chelsea
According to a report from The Telegraph, Nottingham Forest were approached by Chelsea to sign Murillo in the January transfer window. Despite being offered the chance to secure a club-record sale, Forest rejected the advance from Chelsea.
In his own words, John Percy said: "Chelsea were targeting a swoop for Brazilian centre-back Murillo early in January, but Marinakis [Forest owner] refused to consider what would have been a record sale."
It is quite clear that Nottingham Forest are here to stay. Let's not forget that they are not some small club over-performing. In fact, the opposite is true. Forest has one of the greatest histories in England and while they were away from the limelight for a while, the club certainly has excellent pedigree.
So, what does this mean for Chelsea? Does it mean the club is losing its charm in the transfer window? No, of course not.
While this might be the natural reaction, it is important to consider the reality here. It is notoriously harder to land players in the January transfer window because, well, who wants to sell their star player with half the season remaining?
Furthermore, Nottingham Forest had no reason to sell Murillo. This is especially the case to a direct Premier League rival who might battle with them for a place in the Champions League.
It certainly won't stop Chelsea from trying again in the future. There are many areas which Chelsea could improve in but the transfer window isn't one of them. When it comes to signing the top players, the Blues can never be doubted.