After sealing the £50 million signing of Luis Diaz from Porto, Liverpool are now looking to clinch a deal for Fulham midfielder Fabio Carvalho before Monday’s deadline.
Diaz completed his move to Liverpool on Sunday morning, agreeing a five-and-a-half-year deal worth £90,000 a week, with an initial £32.5 million paid to Porto.
That transfer came out of the blue, with the Reds expected to make no further additions following the signing of Ibrahima Konate in the summer, but now it looks set to be a busy end to the window.
Following early reports of interest in Carvalho – the 19-year-old attacking midfielder central to Fulham‘s promotion push – the club’s pursuit has now intensified.
According to Sky Sports’ Vinny O’Connor – a well-placed source on Merseyside – Liverpool are now looking to bring the youngster in before the 11pm deadline on Monday, with a £5 million bid made.
This is despite Carvalho’s contract with the Cottagers expiring in the summer, with the Reds clearly eager to secure his signature ahead of their rivals.
The Liverpool Echo‘s Paul Gorst has corroborated the news, suggesting a club source has informed the local press of the development.
Fulham manager Marco Silva has insisted that there are no plans to sell Carvalho this month, but his stance may differ from those within the Championship side’s hierarchy.
There is a chance that a deal is struck with Fulham that would see Liverpool pay a fee before loaning the player back to Craven Cottage for the rest of the season.
While this may seem a farfetched strategy given Carvalho will be available on a free transfer from July 1, due to his age, a compensation fee would be required from whichever club he joined.
By negotiating a deal with Fulham now, the Reds would avoid a long tribunal process in the summer and beyond, which was the case when Harvey Elliott swapped London for Liverpool in similar circumstances.
Elliott’s contract with the Cottagers was up at the end of 2019/20, and having agreed a contract with his boyhood club, it took another six-and-a-half months before a tribunal deemed him to be worth up to £4.3 million.
It has been claimed that Fulham value Carvalho at over £5 million, though a compromise may be reached due to the ongoing situation.
Furthermore, it cannot be overlooked that Fulham still owe Liverpool the majority of the £12 million agreed upon Harry Wilson‘s permanent move in the summer.
