Chelsea’s January attempt to sign £80m Premier League defender was unsuccessful.

Chelsea’s hunt for a centre-back during the recently closed winter transfer window is purported to have included a failed transfer approach for Nottingham Forest revelation Murillo.

Murillo joined Forest from Corinthians in 2023, having made less than 30 senior appearances in Brazilian football, playing a key role in Forest successfully fighting relegation last season and now remarkably challenging for a Champions League spot this season.

The 22-year-old was bought for a £15m transfer fee when he arrived in England. But he has been rated at £80m in recent months and is a leading example of Forest’s excellent recruitment since learning from the expensive mistakes of their 2022/23 campaign.

Chelsea have been impressed by Murillo, with the Daily Telegraph reporting that the Blues targeted the Brazilian “early” in the January window.

It would have been a “record sale” for Nottingham Forest—therefore at least in excess of the £47.5m that Brennan Johnson was sold for in 2023—yet owner Evangelos Marinakis “refused to consider” cashing in. Instead, Forest was focused on keeping their high-achieving squad together in the hope of a higher league finishing spot since placing third in 1994/95.

Chelsea lost Wesley Fofana to a fresh injury setback at the start of January, with Axel Disasi not liked by Enzo Maresca even after that and eventually allowed him to leave on loan on deadline day, which may have defined their interest in recruiting a centre-back.

Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi, sold by the Blues for £18m in 2021 and the subject of a sizeable bid from Tottenham Hotspur late in the window, was considered. Trevoh Chalobah was called back from his loan spell at Palace on 15 January, which is likely to have come after being knocked back over Murillo.

In addition to Chalobah, Chelsea have Levi Colwill, Tosin Adarabioyo, and Josh Acheampong as their fit and available centre-backs to rely on. Benoit Badiashile is nursing a thigh injury and could return this month. Aaron Anselmino has also linked up with the squad but is yet to be given a shirt number.