Transfers

Report: Liverpool have now beaten Real Madrid to the signing of ‘fantastic’ youngster on a free transfer

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Liverpool have reached a pre-agreement with Fabio Carvalho, beating Real Madrid to the youngster’s signature.

That comes from Sport, who claim that Carvalho ‘will play at Anfield’ next season after Liverpool ‘won the game’ to sign him.

The report claims that Carvalho will arrive from Fulham ‘at zero cost.’ But The Reds will be forced to pay a compensation fee to Fulham for the ‘training rights’ of the player.

West Bromwich Albion v Fulham - Sky Bet Championship
Photo by Malcolm Couzens/Getty Images

The saga continues

Carvalho’s proposed move to Liverpool has been something of a saga. After Liverpool chased the 19-year-old in January, they finally came to an eleventh hour agreement with Fulham.

But they didn’t leave enough time for the paperwork to go through and the move couldn’t be completed before the deadline (BBC Sport).

That meant that Carvalho returned to Fulham where he has continued the kind of form that alerted Liverpool, and Real Madrid, to his talents.

Fulham v Millwall - Sky Bet Championship
Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images

The Portugal U-21 international has had a breakthrough season in the Championship, scoring seven times and assisting six.

He was called ‘fantastic’ by his manager, Marco Silva, after scoring and assisting in a game against Millwall in August via West London Football.

A sense of inevitability

It has always looked likely that Liverpool would return to get a deal done this summer. The player’s contract is expiring at the end of the season. Having already agreed a fee with Fulham, that should avoid the need for a tribunal.

Last week, journalist Paul Joyce said on the Kenn7 YouTube channel (35mins) that he ‘could see the transfer getting done.’

Cardiff City v Fulham - Sky Bet Championship
Photo by Jeff Thomas/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Fulham will breathe a sigh of relief if Carvalho has opted to stay in England and join Liverpool.

It would have been bad news for them had he decided to move to Madrid, or any of the other interested European clubs. In that scenario, the Cottagers would have been left without a compensation fee.

As it is, it looks almost inevitable that the teenager will join Jurgen Klopp’s raft of talented youngsters for 2022/23.

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