(Credit: Imago)

Evan Shaw

Fri 10 April 2026 15:30, UK

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Nottingham Forest may have already identified their replacement for Murillo if he departs the club this summer.

The Brazilian centre-back has been hotly tipped to leave the City Ground ahead of next season, even if Vitor Pereira’s side can secure their place in the Premier League again for 2026-27.

Liverpool and Chelsea have both been extensively linked with moves for the 23-year-old ahead of the summer window, and Forest may now have put their contingency plan in place amid news of their interest in Juventus’ Federico Gatti.

The Reds are racing the likes of Everton, Newcastle, Leeds and West Ham to secure the defender’s signature this summer, but they must remain in the top flight if they want to have any chance of coming out on top.

Forest’s transfer plans for the summer are set to be as much about trying to keep hold of their key players as they are strengthening with new faces, but the pursuit of Gatti certainly suggests that they are fearing the worst over Murillo.

Juventus ready to sell Federico Gatti as Nottingham Forest fret over Murillo

Former Manchester United chief scout Mick Brown told Football Insider back in March that Forest may find it “difficult” to keep hold of Murillo this summer, even if they end up surviving relegation.

There are several elite clubs circling around the youngster ahead of the summer, and that appears to have sparked his current club to put their own plans into action.

Forest have identified Gatti as a clear target to improve their defensive options for next term, and it would only take them a fee of £21.7million (€25m) to get him, according to Calcio Mercato.

Juventus are ready to try and make a profit on the 27-year-old at the end of the campaign, and clubs in the Premier League are queuing up to try and facilitate that.

Forest’s interest in the former Frosinone man is perhaps an indication that they have received fresh interest in Murillo in recent weeks, or have reason to believe that his exit could be imminent.

Pereira already has plenty of backup options to the starting central defensive duo of Murillo and Nikola Milenkovic, which suggests that a notable departure could be just around the corner.

Evangelos Marinakis to be tempted by ‘big offers’

Brown previously told Football Insider that Forest could face an exodus of their key players this summer, with the likes of Elliot Anderson and Morgan Gibbs-White also attracting interest.

The former recruitment chief suggested that the Reds’ challenging campaign is set to make it harder for them to fend off prying eyes from elsewhere than it was last summer, even if they stay up.

He noted that owner Evangelos Marinakis is more likely to be tempted if “big offers” are put on the table for their best players this time around, which doesn’t bode well for them long-term.

Forest are desperate to avoid becoming a perennial fighter against relegation, but if they are to sell up this summer, then it places huge emphasis on who they recruit as replacements.