Real Madrid Transfer News Roundup: Los Blancos face Murillo competition, Al-Ahli want Vinicius Jr, and more - February 4, 2025

Real Madrid are putting together final preparations ahead of their Copa del Rey quarterfinal against Leganes on Wednesday (February 5) at the Estadio Municipal de Butarque. Carlo Ancelotti's team arrive at the game on the back of a demoralizing 1-0 LaLiga defeat at the hands of Espanyol over the weekend (February 1).

Meanwhile, Los Blancos will face competition in their pursuit of Nottingham Forest defender Murillo. Elsewhere, Al-Ahli remain interested in Vinicius Junior.

On that note, let's look at the major Real Madrid transfer stories from February 4, 2025.

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Real Madrid face Murillo competition

Murillo has admirers at the Santiago Bernabeu

According to CaughtOffside, Liverpool have entered the race to sign Murillo. The Brazilian defender has been quite impressive for Nottingham Forest in the 23 games this season and also has admirers at Real Madrid.

Los Blancos are planning to invest in their backline following their recent injury woes. Eder Militao is out for the season after picking up his second ACL injury in less than two years.

David Alaba only recently returned to full fitness after rupturing his ACL in December 2023. Antonio Rudiger picked up a hamstring injury during the 1-0 defeat at the hands of Espanyol over the weekend and could miss a month of action.

The situation has highlighted the lack of options at the back for Carlo Ancelotti, and the LaLiga champions have identified Murillo as an option. However, Liverpool have also set their sights on the 22-year-old as a possible replacement for Virgil van Dijk.

The Brazilian is under contract at Nottingham Forest until 2029, and Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) are also in the race. As such, Real Madrid are unlikely to get a free run at Murillo this year.

Al-Ahli want Vinicius Junior

Vinicius Junior

Al-Ahli manager Matthias Jaissle has hinted that he wants Vinicius Junior on his team. The Brazilian forward's future at Real Madrid has been subject to speculation for a while.

Vinicius has been outstanding for Los Blancos in recent seasons and already has admirers in the Middle East. Recent reports have suggested that Saudi Arabia are willing to offer him a five-year contract worth €1bn.

Speaking to AS, Jasissle acknowledged that he would like to have the 24-year-old on his team.

“I don’t comment on rumours, but as a coach you want to have the best. He is obviously one of the best players in the world right now. He’s a huge threat to any defence. As a coach, you like to have the best players in your team,” Jaissle said (via Madrid Universal).

Vinicius is under contract at the Santiago Bernabeu until 2027.

Endrick was close to joining Nice, says agent

Endrick arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu last summer

Endrick was close to joining Ligue 1 club Nice, according to GYM’s agent in Latin America, Carlos Henrique. The Brazilian forward signed for Real Madrid in 2022 and arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu last summer.

However, speaking to Mundo Deportivo, Henrique recently insisted that Endrick was close to joining Nice six months before his move to Los Blancos.

“To do good business you have to plan ahead and sign players at a very young age. For example, Endrick’s agent came to visit the Nice facilities when his player was 15 years old,” Henrique said (via Madrid Universal).

He continued:

“It was too early for us, but six months later he signed for Real Madrid for 60 million euros. French clubs are missing out on opportunities because it’s difficult to establish themselves in this market.”

The 18-year-old has registered four goals and one assist from 21 games across competitions this season.