JUST IN: Chelsea’s ‘record transfer offer’ was turned down by a Premier League rival in January

Chelsea’s attempts to secure Nottingham Forest defender Murillo in January were unsuccessful, with reports indicating that Forest rejected what would have been a record transfer fee for one of their players.

Brazilian centre-back Murillo has played a key role in what has turned out to be an unexpectedly strong season under Nuno Espirito Santo. Nuno’s team has risen to third place, benefiting from the league’s third-best defensive record, thanks in part to his collaboration with Nikola Milenkovic in defense.

The 22-year-old joined Forest from Corinthians in 2023 for a fee of around £10 million, and his performance this season earned him senior international recognition for the first time. Murillo was included in Dorival Junior’s squad for the World Cup qualifying matches against Venezuela and Uruguay in November, but he did not manage to take the place of Arsenal’s Gabriel or Paris Saint-Germain captain Marquinhos.

It was perhaps not surprising that interest came in January. Liverpool have been associated with the defender alongside Chelsea, although it was Chelsea that challenged Forest’s determination – though this did not succeed.

The Telegraph reports that Chelsea’s offer came early in the window. The precise value of the bid has not been disclosed, but it is believed to exceed the £47.5m that Forest obtained from Tottenham for Brennan Johnson in the summer of 2023.

The same source reports that owner Evangelos Marinakis had no intention of considering a bid of any size for Murillo. In fact, the star, who was born in Sao Paulo, agreed to extend his contract later in January, thereby committing to Forest until 2029.

Our ambitions are grand, and his are as well. When the defender’s contract extension was confirmed, Marinakis stated, “He has faith in the strength of our efforts at this wonderful club.” “When our bold ambitions align, there are no limits to what we can accomplish together.”

Chelsea and Forest were occupied on transfer deadline day and throughout the window, though with more outgoing transfers than incoming ones. Loanee James Ward-Prowse was permitted by Forest to return to his parent club West Ham, while new acquisition Tyler Bindon has been granted permission to continue his loan at Reading until the summer.