Liverpool had agreed to £8 million fee for Fabio Carvalho before late collapse

February 2, 2022
Joanna Durkan

Liverpool fell just short of completing a transfer for Fabio Carvalho on deadline day but remain eager to land the 19-year-old after having agreed to a fee in the region of £8 million.

The Reds were out to do add their second player of the January window with Fulham‘s Carvalho but were unable to complete the necessary paperwork before the 11pm deadline on Monday.

Liverpool had reached an agreement with Fulham late in the day, with the Athletic‘s James Pearce reporting that a fee “potentially rising to £8 million with add-ons” was agreed.

The figure they finally settled on had not immediately been reported and it is an increase on the Reds’ initial £5m offer, and now sets a precedent should a tribunal be required.

Liverpool will hope that is not the case having done all the hard work on deadline day but as the Athletic rightly say, it leaves other Premier League and European clubs to remain in the picture.

The report goes on to say that “the Anfield hierarchy remain hopeful” that Carvalho will still make the move but there is time for either Fulham or the player to try and renegotiate terms.

It leaves plenty of time, unlike deadline day which did not see all the paperwork required for his Liverpool switch and loan back to Fulham to be processed.

That Neco Williams made the temporary move to Craven Cottage suggests neither club were put out of place in negotiations and interestingly the Athletic note that there is no loan fee.

What next?

Liverpool are still very much in a commanding position and Jurgen Klopp‘s willingness to open a pathway for young players will remain important to Carvalho.

And as Sky Sports’ Vinny O’Connor stated on Twitter, “the intention of honouring the deal with Fulham adds to the confidence in getting it done.”

Notably, Liverpool and any other English top-flight club can only open discussions for a pre-contract agreement “after the third Saturday in May,” but the Reds do have a head start.

The expectation is that Carvalho will be a summer arrival as was originally planned and in the meantime, the club will be interested Fulham onlookers for Williams and the 19-year-old.