Liverpool are reportedly in a battle with Arsenal over a deal to sign Nottingham Forest defender Murillo, as per Caught Offside.
After moving to City Ground from Brazilian side Corinthians ahead of last season, the 23-year-old has established himself as a key player for the Reds.
In his debut campaign, the Brazilian helped Nottingham Forest survive relegation despite facing a points deduction having been found guilty of breaching the PSR rules.
Now, in this term, he has taken his game to another level, scoring a solitary goal and keeping eight clean-sheets in 23 Premier League appearances. The defender has been guiding his side to mount a top-four finish, sitting third in the table with 47 points from 24 games.
Therefore, it is not a surprise to see that upper echelons of English clubs have registered their interest in signing him having been impressed by his recent eye-catching performances.
Battle
Now, Caught Offside claim that Liverpool have started planning life without Virgil van Dijk – who has entered the final four months of his current contract.
The Merseyside club have been showing a ‘strong interest’ in signing Murillo to replace the Dutchman and could make a concrete approach to lure him to Anfield in the summer.
However, Forest don’t want to let their star man leave for cheap as he still has four and a half years left in his current contract and have slapped a whopping £80m price tag on his head.
Arsenal have also expressed their interest in signing him and along with them, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain have registered their interest in him as well.
Van Dijk has been the mainstay of Liverpool’s backline over the years and his departure will be a huge loss for the Merseyside club. But, Murillo could be a shrewd acquisition to strengthen the defence if they purchase him.
On the other hand, Arsenal already have enough resources in their centre-back position having got William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori. Therefore, they would be better off saving the money to sign a new striker.
Nevertheless, it is going to be interesting to see whether Liverpool eventually go head-to-head with Arsenal over a deal to sign the Brazilian ahead of next season.