Manchester United reportedly ‘want’ to sign two Nottingham Forest stars in a potential ￡147m double deal, with summer exits for these players inevitable…

A major theme of the 2025/26 campaign has been Premier League overachievers being put in their box, either on the pitch or in the transfer market.

For Newcastle United and Aston Villa, this has been regarding signings; the Magpies missed out on most of their top summer targets to elite clubs, while PSR issues dragged the Villans down.

Forest, meanwhile, slipped into a fallow year after their sudden rise from relegation candidates to European qualifiers under former head coach Nuno Espirito Santo, though this is largely all their own doing.

With 2024/25 Manager of the Season contender Nuno and a talented squad suited to his methods, Forest were set up for another successful season in contention for Europe until owner Evangelos Marinakis insisted on setting fire to everything.

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Now, Forest, who are onto their third permanent manager of the season, are in a real fight to avoid relegation from the Premier League with a squad capable of so much more under the right circumstances.

Forest certainly have the best squad of the sides around them and this should see them to safety, but they will still be punished for having a fallow year in this summer’s transfer window.

England international Elliot Anderson, who could reportedly cost his buying club ￡100m this summer, will inevitably be one player to leave.

Each of the Big Six would no doubt be delighted to have the Forest standout, but he is reportedly ‘Manchester-bound’ as Man Utd and Man City fight for his services.?

Brazil international Murillo, who is valued at ￡47m on transfermarktbut will probably cost a bit more, is also likely to move elsewhere in the summer, and each player may end up at Man Utd.

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This is according to a report from journalist Dean Jones for our pals at TEAMtalk, who claims that the Red Devils ‘want’ to sign the Forest pair and face competition from Premier League rivals Chelsea for the centre-back.

The report explains:

‘Sources indicate that Murillo is enjoying life in England, with his family settled and comfortable, but he remains highly ambitious about his next steps in the game. As a result, the Brazilian is keen to see the level of formal interest that arrives from Europe’s top clubs.

‘Man Utd are keen to bring in a top-level defender and are admirers of Murillo’s consistency and composure at Premier League level. The Forest star’s profile aligns with Man Utd’s strategy of targeting elite performers at clubs considered to sit below them in terms of stature.’

It is also pointed out that Forest ‘will be determined to resist interest and retain their key assets’. We are sure they will, but they will soon have to accept their reality after briefly challenging the elite; the Anderson and Murillo sales are inevitable and needed if they are to remain sustainable.

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