Chelsea striker Liam Delap has named Nottingham Forest’s Murillo as the toughest defender in the Premier League.
The 22-year-old said that, while most would choose Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk as the most difficult to face, he would argue that the Forest centre-back is equally formidable:
“You know who I really like? Murillo, at Forest. I have [played against Van Dijk], but I think that’s the stereotypical answer. Obviously, he’s top, but I really like Murillo.”
Delap played against Murillo a few times last season for Ipswich, but he was injured when Chelsea beat Forest at the City Ground last month.
The defender is a long-term Chelsea target
Murillo is someone that the Blues’ recruitment department have kept tabs on for quite some time. The London club were first linked with the Brazilian at the start of 2024, when Forest were considering offloading him due to PSR issues.
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However, since then, the Tricky Trees’ stance on keeping the centre-half has hardened, and it is believed that they could demand as much as £70m for the player now.
Murillo is not the only centre-back being pursued
Head coach Enzo Maresca expressed the need to reinforce the centre of defence after Levi Colwill was struck down with a serious injury in August. However, the Blues did not strengthen that area of the pitch in the summer despite their manager’s public statements on the matter.
They could change their stance in January or next summer. In addition to Murillo, the club are reportedly ‘admirers’ of Newcastle’s Sven Botman, who is closing in on the final 18 months of his contract at St James’ Park. There have also been suggestions that Antonio Rudiger would consider a shock return to Stamford Bridge if he leaves Real Madrid on a free transfer at the end of the season.
Read more about the Chelsea First Team Squad for 2025/26 here