The first £100m defender?! Breakout Premier League star 'with a bit of everything' backed to set new transfer record as Real Madrid, Liverpool and Barcelona monitor Nottingham Forest sensation Murillo

The 22-year-old centre-half is currently starring for Nottingham Forest, having moved to the City Ground from Corinthians in a £10 million ($12m) deal during the summer of 2023. Murillo’s stock has soared on Trentside, to the point that he is said to be attracting interest from leading sides across Europe.

Murillo has become a cult hero in Nottingham, with his South American flair being showcased alongside more typical defensive traits. He is an exciting player to watch, with buccaneering breaks often made out from of the back, while always being prepared to put his body on the line for the good of any given cause.

Chelsea are said to have seen a bid rejected towards the end of the last transfer window, while Liverpool are also being credited with interest. Any deal involving the Samba star, who has already been involved with senior Brazil squads, could see him become the first defender to generate a nine-figure fee.

Quizzed on whether Murillo is destined to be a record-breaking £100m ($124m) star, Forest legend Stan Collymore – speaking in association with William Hill Vegas – told GOAL: “He could be. There are clubs watching him. From a personal perspective I would love to see him stay at Forest for the next three, four, five years. He’s signed his new contract.

“Obviously with the season that Forest are having, it is going to be very difficult to keep hold of players. He has got a bit of everything. It’s a strange one really because he doesn’t look like a central defender at all – he’s not the tallest, he’s fairly ungainly in the way that he moves around, but he’s a bit of a throwback in terms of liking to defend, likes to get touch-tight with players and get physical and he anticipates things well.

“He may well go on to become the first £100m defender, which for Forest would be an incredible deal if it came. My hope is that he stays for another two or three years.”

Collymore, who helped Forest to a third-place Premier League finish in 1994-95, added: “Whatever happens this season, it will be difficult to hold on to third – Chelsea winning, [Manchester] City should pick off most teams, Newcastle, if Eddie Howe is going to keep his job then they need to have a good last third of the season. It is going to be tough for Forest to stay in the Champions League places, albeit not impossible.

“If they did, there is no good reason for them to sell whatsoever because they can offer Champions League football. The questions arise if Forest had been in the top three or four most of the season and then didn’t quite get there – in what will be a difficult run-in for all clubs – then you might start to look at the Real Madrids for Murillo and Manchester City who have been mooted for Morgan Gibbs-White, saying at the end of the season ‘we can offer you Champions League football’. But I hope that’s not going to be the case.

“A fantastic defender, a fantastic season and really good to see Forest picking teams off. Long may it continue.”

Murillo was named Forest’s Player of the Season in 2023-24 and registered his first goal for the club this term in a Premier League meeting with Newcastle. The Reds will be back in action on Tuesday when facing League One outfit Exeter City in the FA Cup fourth round.