Chelsea set to pay €80m January transfer premium to solve long-term Maresca complaint

Suraj Radia

30 Nov 2025 11:25 GMT
4 min read

Chelsea have been told they will have to pay a significant premium if they want to solve an issue that has plagued Enzo Maresca’s side all season.

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The Blues are flying high in second place in the Premier League despite a host of injuries, particularly in defence where they have been missing the likes of Levi Colwill and Benoit Badiashile.

Colwill’s injury in particular saw him suffer an ACL rupture on the eve of the season that will rule him out for the whole campaign, which led to Maresca publicly expressing the need for Chelsea to sign a new defender.

However, the summer window closed without an additional defensive signing and Maresca has been forced to deal with the limited numbers in his backline at various points of the season.

Chelsea’s good form could see the club give Maresca his wish in January and target a defender but much will depend on the transfer opportunities available mid-season.

There is also a desire to get a player that the club feel will benefit them for years to come rather than a short-term solution, which may lead to an expensive outlay on a long-term target after learning the price to sign him in January.

Chelsea contemplate Murillo January transfer

According to TEAMtalk, Chelsea retain an interest in Nottingham Forest star Murillo and they could move for him in January after opting against pursuing him during the summer.

© IMAGO - Murillo has been a great performer for Nottingham Forest this season.

Murillo has been a standout performer for Forest since joining them in 2023 for €12 million and the 23-year-old extended his contract until 2029 at the start of the year.

Forest’s strong leverage position could see them demand more than £70 million (€80m) to part ways with Murillo in January, if they even consider his sale at all.

Current ETV

Murillo

D (C)

Nottingham

Murillo

D (C)

Nottingham

ETV Range

€58.7M - €71.7M

It remains to be seen whether Chelsea would sanction such a huge deal but should they continue to mount a title challenge, Maresca may look to pressure the board to make a move in order to avoid any shortcomings in the second half of the campaign.

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