Arsenal and Chelsea are part of the equation in the race for Murillo, with Liverpool and Barcelona also keen on the Nottingham Forest defender.

According to Caught Offside, Murillo is emerging to be a massive target for some of the top clubs around the continent. The Nottingham Forest star has made a name for himself as one of the top centre-backs in the Premier League, with the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea joining teams like Liverpool and Barcelona in the hunt.

Nottingham Forest did extremely well to keep hold of their key stars back in the summer window, when the likes of Murillo and Morgan Gibbs-White were attracting massive interest. The club managed to agree new deals with both players, as keeping them was important, particularly the Brazilian defender.

The new season has not gone to plan for Forest so far, with the team languishing near the bottom of the table. A failure to make it to the Champions League next season or even any European competition could spell trouble for Forest, especially with their ability to hold on to stars like Murillo, who is already attracting massive interest in the market.

Forest values Murillo at around €80-90 million, and would only consider negotiating with the club if they receive offers approaching that figure. Chelsea have been interested and are ready to invest big should Murillo become available in the future.

A mid-season transfer seems extremely unlikely, although the Blues are likely to enter the fray around the summer window. Enzo Maresca likes a ball-playing and progressive centre-back in his possession-based system, as an approach for Murillo may not come as a surprise.

Murillo on the move next summer?

Arsenal are the other team to enter the race for Murillo, as Mikel Arteta has kept tabs on his development at Forest. While the Gunners do not lack defensive players, there will be some skepticism if they were to target another left-footed centre-back, given the recent addition of Piero Hincapie.

Liverpool are also keeping close tabs as the Merseysiders are eager to build their backline amid the uncertain futures of Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk. Barcelona are the other team in the mix, with the Catalans also looking to add a solid defender to their squad.

Liverpool could be a big contender, and so could Barcelona, although the latter might struggle with the €80-90 million-rated Premier League defender’s price tag. For the Merseysiders, adding a top-notch defender is a priority in future windows, as they will be ready to compete with the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea in he hunt for the Forest star.