Liverpool expected to complete Fabio Carvalho signing

Martin Macdonald

• 28 Mar 2022 16:33 BST
• 6 min read

Fabio Carvalho is expected to join Liverpool this summer, according to the Times.

Towards the end of the January transfer window, Liverpool attempted to sign the young attacking midfielder and agreed a £8 million deal with Fulham on deadline day, only for the Reds to run out of time before the window closed.

Everything was completed apart from a deal sheet with the Football League, and it was the failure to produce that in time that ultimately led to the transfer collapsing.

However, Liverpool will use the deal that was in place in January to acquire Carvalho in the summer even though he is out of contract.

They are still expected to pay Fulham a fee as compensation in order to avoid a tribunal similar to that involving Harvey Elliott.

“I think that comes back on the agenda in the summer,” The Times' Joyce said on the Kenn7 YouTube channel.

“I could see that one getting done. The lengths that Liverpool went to in January to try and get it over the line and the loan back meant that they ran out of time.

“But I could see that getting resurrected in the summer, no reason why that wouldn’t go through.”

How good is Fabio Carvalho?

Carvalho was born in Lisbon, but represents England at youth level as he is now eligible after living in the United Kingdom for an extended period.

In May 2020, he signed his first professional contract with Fulham, and in the 2020/21 season he made his debut in a League Cup victory against Sheffield Wednesday.

A year after signing his first pro deal, he made his Premier League debut against Chelsea and a couple of weeks later scored his first senior goal in the top flight in a loss against Southampton.

In the 2021/22 campaign, he has impressed, scoring eight goals and recording five assists.

Carvalho has all the tools required to be a top performer in the number 10 position.

He is particularly talented at receiving the ball to feet in midfield with his back to goal and spinning quickly to face the other way, allowing him to drive forward into the final third.

His close control is magnificent and that allows him to play in tight spaces inside the box, too.

Carvalho's runs in behind the opposition backline evoke memories of early Dele Alli.

Following his goal against Southampton last season, then manager Scott Parker said:

“Carvalho is a big positive.

“Massive positive for us because he’s the one who’s going to be here, he’s a player that is really bright and can bring something to this team and you saw that today.

“We’ve seen his quality today, we’ve seen him scoring and assisting at an under-23 level but now he’s been around first-team players, he’s pushed on and done that as well.

“I don’t want to heap too much on Fabio because he’s still a young boy but the future’s bright for him and he’s someone that I really like."