REPORT: Chelsea Lead Liverpool and Tottenham In Race To Sign £70m Premier League Centre-Back

Chelsea are reportedly in pole position to sign a Premier League centre-back, beating competition from Liverpool and Tottenham. 

The Blues are looking to strengthen their defensive options this summer, following the potential exits of Trevoh Chalobah and Benoit Badiashile as reported earlier. 

Chelsea Leading Race For Murillo.

Nottingham Forest’s Murillo was strongly linked with a move to Stamford Bridge last summer, as the Blues were keen to strengthen their defence. Although they ultimately decided not to pursue a deal for the Brazilian at the time, their interest has not faded.

TeamTALK claims that Chelsea are ‘leading the pursuit’ with ‘extensive groundwork’ conducted over the past 12 months. The Blues even considered a bid for the player last summer with his ball-playing abilities fitting what is needed at Stamford Bridge.

Liverpool already have Jeremy Jacquet arriving at Anfield in the summer but will need another addition should Ibrahima Konate depart upon the expiry of his contract.

Forest are believed to value the defender at around £70 million, as they are reluctant to part ways with him. That said, their ongoing relegation battle could impact their stance. Should they drop into the Championship, the club may be forced to lower their asking price, potentially making Murillo a more affordable option for interested Premier League sides.

Murillo

This season, Murillo has made 18 Premier League appearances for Forest. Despite the club cycling through four managers, he has remained one of their most reliable performers, alongside key figures such as Elliot Anderson and Morgan Gibbs-White.

Murillo’s camp are said to be actively assessing opportunities for the player to make the move to a top six team in the Premier League - Manchester United, Arsenal and Spurs could all be potential destinations at the end of the campaign.

There is also believed to be interest from Europe with Bayern Munich linked and supposedly confident of beating Premier League interest. Murillo is contracted at the City Ground until 2029, which would give the Midlands outfit negotiating power. However, relegation to the Championship could see that £70 million asking price reduced.