Chelsea move favoured over Real Madrid and PSG by £50m ‘priority’ target

Chelsea have identified Nottingham Forest centre-back Murillo as their summer priority and believe they are winning the race for a player who would cost in the region of £50 million, according to Caught Offside.

Head coach Liam Rosenior is determined to rebuild a defence that, despite numbers on paper, has yet to produce an undisputed first-choice pairing. Wesley Fofana and Trevoh Chalobah currently lead the internal pecking order, with Benoit Badiashile, Mamadou Sarr and the returning Tosin Adarabioyo and Levi Colwill providing depth. Axel Disasi is on loan at West Ham and is not expected to reappear for the Blues, while Aaron Anselmino continues his development at Strasbourg.

Murillo, 21, has emerged as the standout candidate to bring clarity to the back line. The Brazilian is valued at £50 million by Forest, and sources close to the negotiations say Chelsea have moved ahead of Tottenham, Manchester United and Liverpool, all of whom retain a watching brief. Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and clubs from Saudi Arabia have also registered interest, yet the defender’s preference is to remain in England.

Although Murillo has publicly courted Manchester City and Liverpool in the past—telling the Benja Me Mucho podcast that the Etihad would be his first choice “but it would be more difficult to be a regular starter”—Chelsea hope their project and guaranteed minutes will prove decisive. The London club are banking on his ball-carrying ability and progressive passing to slot seamlessly into Rosenior’s system.

With talks advancing and Forest braced for his departure, Stamford Bridge officials are increasingly confident of securing what they regard as a transformative defensive signing ahead of the new campaign.