Liverpool could potentially look to sign Nottingham Forest centre-back Murillo when the summer transfer window arrives, according to a new claim.
The Reds have improved hugely at the heart of their defence of late, with Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate returning to top form at a crucial period.
Despite this, another centre-back is a must alongside Jeremy Jacquet at the end of the season, not least because Konate is yet to agree a contract extension at Liverpool.
According to TEAMtalk‘s Fraser Fletcher [via Give Me Sport], Murillo could emerge as a summer option for Liverpool, especially if they are relegated from the Premier League to the Championship:
“Liverpool are already looking at improvements to their squad for next season, and centre-back is an area they’re going to want to strengthen Look out for Murillo at Nottingham Forest. If Forest go down, he will definitely move, but he could still move even if they stay up.”
Is Murillo good enough for Liverpool this summer?
A host of centre-backs are naturally going to be linked with Liverpool when the season reaches its conclusion, and it will be fascinating to see who they move for.
In Murillo, the Reds would be signing a proven Premier League player with a huge amount of passion and fight – one who has been lauded by Joe Worrall in the past:
“Murillo is an amazing talent. One thing I can say is he’s a real good kid and he’s someone who works hard in training. He’s a fighter and clearly knows what it takes to get to the level because he’s performing at it now – he’s no fluke. He’s a really strong character and someone who has taken that leap of faith to come over from South America to Europe.”
That said, Murillo arguably isn’t the most technical of centre-backs in possession, which could work against him, with the Brazilian completing only 84.2% of his passes in the league this season.
Van Dik (89.4%) and Konate (89.2%) are superior, for example, and signing a player like Borussia Dortmund’s Nico Schlotterbeck – 90% in the Champions League this term – makes more sense for Liverpool.
