Nottingham Forest officially sign defender wanted by Liverpool to contract until 2030
Below is a summary of the full article. Click here for the full version from DaveOCKOP or go back to LFC Live.
Image Credits: Imago ImagesLiverpool’s summer of transition just became slightly more complicated, and it arrived not with a transfer request or a tabloid story, but with a simple contract announcement from the East Midlands.It has been a season that Anfield will want to move past quickly.Fifth in the Premier League, knocked out of the Champions League at the quarter-final stage, a public fallout with Mohamed Salah, and the imminent departures of both Salah and Andy Robertson — two of the most decorated players in the club’s modern history.Arne Slot faces a rebuild that goes beyond positions.It goes to identity, to structure, and to the kind of defensive solidity that made Liverpool so formidable just twelve months ago.That rebuild requires centre-backs.And Liverpool had been looking at one in particular, a young, left-sided, ball-playing defender with pace, composure, and the kind of ceiling that makes recruitment departments salivate.Murillo, who DAVEOCKOP exclusively revealed Liverpool were monitoring, had already surpassed 100 appearances for his club at just 23 and had also caught the eye of some of Europe’s biggest institutions over the past two seasons.On Saturday afternoon, Nottingham Forest closed that door.Murillo has offcially signed a new contract with the City Ground club, extending his stay until the summer of 2030. It is his second renewal in eighteen months as he had previously signed fresh terms in January 2025, and it sends the clearest possible message to any club that had designs on the Brazilian: he is not going anywhere.The 23-year-old joined Forest from Corinthians in August 2023 for £11 million — a fee that now looks almost absurdly modest.In the time since, he has made 114 appearances, scored four goals, and established himself as one of the most reliable and technically gifted centre-backs in the Premier League.This season alone he has played 39 times across all competitions, contributing to a campaign that saw Forest reach the Europa League semi-finals and survive relegation in difficult circumstances.His goals have tended to arrive at the right moments too, including an opener in Istanbul against Fenerbahçe that involved a driving run from inside his own half, a one-two with Elliot Anderson, and a strike from outside the area that set Forest on the way to a 3-0 victory in Vítor Pereira’s first game in charge.Murillo himself was unambiguous about what the new deal means.“It’s a dream and it’s really important for me, my family and my career,” he said.“It shows me how important I am for the club and that people have confidence in me.”Forest’s Global Technical Director George Syrianos described him as “one of the best players in his position”, a bold claim, but not an unreasonable one.For Liverpool, the search continues.For Forest, the foundation just got stronger.
