{"id":43379,"date":"2026-02-17T10:33:15","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T15:33:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/02\/17\/new-frontrunner-emerges-as-chelsea-and-liverpool-battle-to-sign-murillo\/"},"modified":"2026-02-17T10:33:15","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T15:33:15","slug":"new-frontrunner-emerges-as-chelsea-and-liverpool-battle-to-sign-murillo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/02\/17\/new-frontrunner-emerges-as-chelsea-and-liverpool-battle-to-sign-murillo\/","title":{"rendered":"New frontrunner emerges as Chelsea and Liverpool battle to sign Murillo"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_74 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/02\/17\/new-frontrunner-emerges-as-chelsea-and-liverpool-battle-to-sign-murillo\/#Blues_intend_to_sign_three_defenders_this_summer\" >Blues intend to sign three defenders this summer<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/02\/17\/new-frontrunner-emerges-as-chelsea-and-liverpool-battle-to-sign-murillo\/#Possibility_that_%E2%80%9Cpowerful%E2%80%9D_Murillo_can_definitely_sign_with_Chelsea\" >Possibility that \u201cpowerful\u201d Murillo can definitely sign with Chelsea<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-5' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-5'><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-5' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-5'><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-5' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/02\/17\/new-frontrunner-emerges-as-chelsea-and-liverpool-battle-to-sign-murillo\/#Chelsea_are_currently_battling_Liverpool_in_the_race_to_sign_the_former_Premier_League_defender_in_a_43m_deal\" >Chelsea are currently battling Liverpool in the race to sign the former Premier League defender in a \u00a343m deal<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Chelsea are currently overtaking Liverpool in the race for defensive powerhouses, with Liverpool keen to move to Stamford Bridge.<\/p>\n<p>    <!-- No AdsNinja v10 Client! --><!-- No AdsNinja v10 Client! --><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"blues-willing-to-cash-in-on-three-defenders-this-summer\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Blues_intend_to_sign_three_defenders_this_summer\"><\/span>\n                        <strong>Blues intend to sign three defenders this summer<\/strong><br \/>\n               <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The Blues are looking to reshape their defense in the summer transfer window, with transfer expert Graham Bailey revealing they are prepared to let three centre-backs go if suitable offers are received.<\/p>\n<p>Liam Rosenior may therefore need to bring in some new defenders at the end of the season, especially considering the manager missed out on signing Jeremy Jacquet, who ultimately opted to join Liverpool.<\/p>\n<p>The west Londoners are also in contention with the Merseysiders over the contract of Juventus defender Lloyd Kelly, who carries a \u00a343m price tag, and the Englishman is not the only centre-back that both Premier League clubs are interested in.<\/p>\n<p>Last week it was revealed that the entire Premier League&#8217;s &#8216;big six&#8217; were interested in signing Nottingham Forest star Murillo, followed by another update that Rosenior&#8217;s side are looking to sign the defender.<\/p>\n<p>    Football Insider reports that Chelsea have overtaken Liverpool in the race to sign Murillo, who is known to be keen on a move to Stamford Bridge, but the deal could come at a relatively high cost.<\/p>\n<p>Tricky Trees could hold out on a \u00a350m transfer fee amid interest from a number of top clubs, but they may need to raise the cash with a lower transfer fee if they are unable to avoid relegation.<\/p>\n<p>As it stands, the 23-year-old&#8217;s future at the City Ground is now in serious doubt as he is far too good to play in the Championship, as Forest are just three points above the bottom three&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>    <!-- No AdsNinja v10 Client! --><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"quot-powerhouse-quot-murillo-could-be-solid-signing-for-chelsea\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Possibility_that_%E2%80%9Cpowerful%E2%80%9D_Murillo_can_definitely_sign_with_Chelsea\"><\/span>\n                        <strong>Possibility that \u201cpowerful\u201d Murillo can definitely sign with Chelsea<\/strong><br \/>\n               <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Chelsea are clearly not satisfied with their current defensive options, given they are prepared to let go of three centre-backs, and there are plenty of signs that the Forest star could be a suitable replacement.<\/p>\n<div class=\"display-card  article article-card small  no-badge  active-content                      \" data-include-community-rating=\"false\" id=\"chelsea-now-battling-liverpool-in-race-to-sign-lloyd-kelly-juventus\" data-nosnippet=\"\">\n<picture><source media=\"(max-width: 480px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.footballfancastimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/mixcollage-14-feb-2026-06-19-pm-2755.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=140&amp;h=98&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.footballfancastimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/mixcollage-14-feb-2026-06-19-pm-2755.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=140&amp;h=98&amp;dpr=2\"\/>\n        <\/picture>\n<p>                    <span data-field=\"label\" class=\"article-card-label\"><label>related<\/label><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"w-display-card-content regular article-block\">\n<h5 class=\"display-card-title \"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Chelsea_are_currently_battling_Liverpool_in_the_race_to_sign_the_former_Premier_League_defender_in_a_43m_deal\"><\/span>\n<p>\t\t\tChelsea are currently battling Liverpool in the race to sign the former Premier League defender in a \u00a343m deal<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<p class=\"display-card-excerpt\">The Blues could gain a one-point lead over their rivals.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Troy Deeney is particularly fond of the one-cap Brazil international and said this after his attention-grabbing performance against Liverpool in November. <em>&#8220;He&#8217;s been great. He&#8217;s becoming a powerhouse&#8230; It&#8217;s nice to see him play like he did last season.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The former Corinthians player averages 1.0 blocks per 90 in the Premier League, the eighth highest of any first-team overall, and his average WhoScored match rating of 6.85 is the third highest of any Forest team.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s no wonder, then, that a number of top clubs are lining up to sign Murillo, who has proven he is ready for a move to Chelsea, and it is encouraging news that they have overtaken Liverpool in the race.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Chelsea are currently overtaking Liverpool in the race for defensive powerhouses, with Liverpool keen to move to Stamford Bridge. Blues intend to sign three defenders this summer The Blues are looking to reshape their defense in the summer transfer window, with transfer expert Graham Bailey revealing they are prepared to let three centre-backs go if [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":43380,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[280,200,1208,40,6578,132,7350,43],"class_list":{"0":"post-43379","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-football","8":"tag-battle","9":"tag-chelsea","10":"tag-emerges","11":"tag-football","12":"tag-frontrunner","13":"tag-liverpool","14":"tag-murillo","15":"tag-sign"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43379","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43379"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43379\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43380"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43379"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43379"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43379"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}