Manchester United among European bigwigs keeping an eye on Murillo – Man United News And Transfer News

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Manchester United have the chance to reach back-to-back FA Cup finals when they face Coventry City in the semifinals at Wembley on April 20 and possibly the chance to salvage their season.

A lot was expected from the Red Devils after they finished third in the last campaign and won the Carabao Cup but injuries have derailed their progress.

The defence was the worst affected with the entire first-choice back four sidelined at one point with manager Erik ten Hag forced to start with Jonny Evans and academy graduate Willy Kambwala against West Ham back in December.

Lisandro Martinez has proven to be the Dutch manager’s trump card when it comes to playing out from the back since his arrival and he has been sorely missed.

Lisandro has been sorely missed

The Argentine has missed 32 games this term and the manager has played almost all his other centre-backs in that role and none has been as effective.

The club could do with another quality alternative, but quality left-footed centre-backs are not that easy to find. Goncalo Inacio‘s name has regularly popped up in rumour columns.

Now if Mundo Deportivo are to be believed, Nottingham Forest defender Murillo Santiago Costa dos Santos, better known as Murillo, is attracting interest from multiple European giants including the Red Devils.

“There is mutual interest between FC Barcelona and PSG for Murillo, a 21-year-old center back who plays for English club Nottingham Forest.

“But they are not the only ones interested. Liverpool, Chelsea, Newcastle United, Manchester United, and Arsenal are also keeping a close watch, as they believe his transfer could come at a bargain price.”

The Brazilian joined Forest for €12 million from Corinthians last summer and has a current market value of €25 million according to Transfermarkt.

With Nuno Espírito Santo’s team already fouling foul of PSR rules this season, it is well-known that they need to sell players to ease financial worries at the club and the centre-back could be one to make way.

Murillo could be an astute purchase

The São Paulo-born player has made 27 appearances across all competitions and has registered one assist while helping keep four clean sheets.

Despite a difficult club campaign, Murillo’s reputation has not taken a beating and his technical skills have made him stand out from his teammates.

As per Fbref, he is in the top 97 percentile for successful take-ons which shows his confidence on the ball and is also in the top 98 percentile for clearances, highlighting his defensive astuteness.

He is young and has a lot of room to grow, something that fits INEOS’ vision and could prove to be a bargain buy in today’s inflated market.

But the new co-owners might be looking at the right-sided centre-back position as one needing urgent reinforcements considering the uncertain futures of several occupants.