Arsenal handed £21m transfer reality as Barcelona battle begins

Arsenal are continuing to be linked with a move for Nottingham Forest defender Murillo.

Reports emerged earlier this week claiming that the Gunners have expressed an interest in bringing the Brazilian to Emirates Stadium.

These rumours emerged despite Arsenal signing Piero Hincapie and Cristhian Mosquera during the summer transfer window to strengthen their central defensive options.

Murillo has been heavily linked with a move away from Forest for more than a year, having previously been mentioned as a potential target for Liverpool in the past and is also apparently on the radar of Barcelona heading into the New Year.

The defender has played a key role in Forest's success over the last two seasons, including helping the club finish seventh in the Premier League last season and secure qualification for the Europa League.

Forest are reported to value Murillo at up to €80 million (£69.4m), and it seems that figure is higher than where the defender's market value currently stands.

The CIES Football Observatory have crunched the numbers and provided the market value for many of the best players across Europe.

Murillo is mentioned on the list and is valued up to €66m (£57.3m) and could even be valued at €56m (£48.6m).

The latter figure puts a gap between Murillo's valuation by Forest and the CIES at around £21m.

It remains to be seen if Arsenal's reported interest in Murillo turns out to be genuine and what price Forest would demand for the defender's signature.

The club's participation in Europe this season and performance in the Premier League could go on to have an impact on the valuation Forest put on the 23-year-old's signature.

Arsenal will have to wait until the January transfer window reopens in the New Year, at which point it will become clearer if Murillo turns out to be a genuine target for the Gunners.

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