Nottingham Forest set '£70m' valuation for Liverpool 'target' despite FFP concerns

Liverpool are reportedly one club interested in signing Nottingham Forest star Murillo this summer, but his latest transfer valuation may end their interest.

The centre-back arrived from Corinthians for a fee of £11million and has become a key player this season. Starting 30 games in the league, he has proven to be a smart acquisition and he clearly has a sizeable potential that is catching the eye of some of England’s biggest clubs.

One of those is Liverpool who were reportedly targeting him and last month we wrote that, according to Football Insider, Forest may have to sanction player sales amid uncertainty around their profit and sustainability. Sources at the time claimed the club valued him around £50m but now a new report from the Athletic claims it could be even more. They wrote that the defender is now worth at least £70m and such a figure will likely rule Liverpool out of any deals despite being in the market for a centre-back signing.

The report said: ‘Forest feel Murillo — signed for £11million from Brazilian club Corinthians last August — is now worth at least £70m.’ The club have just been unsuccessful in their points appeal and the club may still be forced to sell players in the summer to comply with profit and sustainability rules which have threatened to derail their season.

After spending over £250m in their first three windows after they returned to the Premier League, they now could be at risk of losing a key player such as Morgan Gibbs-White, Chris Wood or any one of their attacking frontline.

For Liverpool, the departure of Joel Matip leaves them with four centre-backs. Arne Slot’s likely appointment rules out the need for a back three but reports have stipulated that a central defender is on the list this summer. Despite the fact that Murillo is displaying the tools that could see him succeed at a top club in the future, it looks like he will be at Forest for the time being.