Why Man United are battling Liverpool & Chelsea for Premier League star they view as "perfect" | OneFootball

Manchester United are reportedly looking at Nottingham Forest star Murillo as a potentially “perfect” signing at centre-back this summer.

The Brazilian has impressed during his time at Forest, and it seems inevitable that he’ll soon make the step up to a bigger club.

According to iNews, sources at Man United view Murillo as having the “perfect blend” of youth and experience, with the 23-year-old already having over 100 appearances under his belt in English football.

The Red Devils could do with a long-term replacement for the ageing Harry Maguire, who is close to the end of his contract, and it seems clear that the club’s hierarchy view Murillo as a signing that ticks all the boxes.

Why Murillo transfer looks a no-brainer for Manchester United

Using our Transfer Fit rating system, we scored Murillo as a 19/25 match for Liverpool when he was linked as a top Reds target by Fichajes a few days ago.

See below as we calculate the same score for Murillo and United, who also need a top central defender of precisely this profile…

Murillo will also need to think carefully about his next move, however, and it will be interesting to see if he has a clear preference out of all the top teams rumoured to be pursuing him.

Murillo transfer options

As well as United and Liverpool, we’ve also previously been informed of Chelsea’s strong interest in Murillo, and other outlets such as Football Insider and TEAMtalk have also mentioned the Blues, suggesting they’re in a good position in the race for his signature.

One imagines this season’s battle for a Champions League place could be crucial in the transfer market, with Murillo perhaps unlikely to pick Liverpool or Chelsea if they can’t work their way back into the top four.

The South American will also need to factor in playing time, but it seems likely that he’d be first choice for any of those clubs.

United have a lot of depth in that department thanks to the likes of Matthijs de Ligt, Lisandro Martinez, Leny Yoro, and Ayden Heaven, but it’s easy to see Murillo being an upgrade on most of those, while Martinez has had repeated fitness problems during his time at Old Trafford.

LFC will need Murillo too as Ibrahima Konate nears the end of his contract, and there’d surely be a starting spot for him at Stamford Bridge over unconvincing performers like Trevoh Chalobah and Tosin Adarabioyo.