Report: MLS club makes offer for attacker Jhon Murillo

The name of Venezuelan winger Jhon Murillo was mentioned quite a few of times as a potential signing for Columbus Crew SC last summer and reports coming from Europe indicate that the Black & Gold could be making another push for him now.

Portuguese website A Bola reported that the 23-year-old South American is back with Benfica after spending the last season with Turkish side Kasimpasa. Murillo, however, has been told by the club that it doesn’t intend to have him on its roster next season and the player has started exploring his options.

According to the report, the only offer for the winger came from an undisclosed MLS club. The Venezuelan has also been approached by other Portuguese teams, such as Tondela, where he played between 2015 and 2017, and SC Braga, Crew SC’s Designated Player Pedro Santos’ former club, but no offer was made yet.

Murillo would reportedly prefer a move to MLS and Benfica would be interested in either selling his rights or loaning him out again. The Portuguese club, for which Murillo has never played, acquired the winger for $800,000 from Zamora in 2015 and would be asking for approximately $3.5 million in a permanent move.

The value is higher than the $2.5 million Crew SC reportedly offered for the player one year ago. The offer was rejected by Benfica at the time and it’s uncertain if it could be accepted now. If a deal indeed happens, it’s not expected to materialize until next week.

It’s worth repeating that the report does not link Murillo to the Black & Gold specifically, but rather an MLS. While it would makes sense that Columbus would still be interested, it’s also possible that another club has stepped in with a bigger offer for the attacker.

Murillo has been playing professionally since 2012 and combines for 136 matches and 31 goals in the Venezuelan, Portuguese and Turkish leagues. He also played 10 matches for the Venezuelan National Team and scored two goals.