James Pearce has penned a report detailing the ins and outs of the unsuccessful deal to sign Fabio Carvalho and the reasons why it fell through.
The young attacking midfielder was supposed to sign for Liverpool and was then supposed to be loaned back to Fulham but both clubs ran out of time.
The main reason for the Merseysiders’ haste was their desire to beat overseas clubs to his signature as they can now agree a pre-contract deal with him without the need to pay the London club a fee for the player’s development.
Liverpool, on the other hand, either need to agree a fee with Fulham as they did before the deadline or they will need to pay the fee that a tribunal will order them to as they had to with Harvey Elliott.
So, why did the Fabio Carvalho deal fall through at the last minute?
All quotes and facts are from a report from The Athletic, written by James Pearce.
- Carvalho attended a “hastily arranged medical” at 7pm on deadline day.
- At 8pm, his representatives were “locked in discussions with Liverpool over the terms of a five-year contract.”
- The biggest issue was the paperwork to sign him and the paperwork to loan him back to Fulham which the Athletic reports was “non-negotiable.”
- The reason talks dragged on for so long was Fulham “drove a hard bargain.” Liverpool offered £5m as well as loaning him back to the Cottagers. The accepted offer was a ‘fee potentially rising to £8 million with add-ons as well as a sell-on clause.’
- Liverpool were then given the green light to talk to Carvalho, who “was eagerly awaiting the opportunity to discuss with Klopp where he would fit into his plans.”
- Ultimately, the EFL’s lack of deal sheets in the Championship meant a deal was unable to be completed as clubs in the Premier League are given an extra two hours to submit all the necessary paperwork “if they send a deal sheet before the 11pm deadline confirming that an agreement is in place.”
So what happens now and could Liverpool still sign Carvalho?
According to the Athletic, “the Anfield hierarchy remains hopeful” that a deal can still be agreed with Fulham and Neco Williams loan move to Craven Cottage is mentioned as a move that could further help create goodwill between the two clubs.
The main positive is that there is no need for urgency here. While there is the threat from overseas clubs, Liverpool will realise that they have the strongest position and the player wants to join.
Julian Ward and Michael Edwards will continue their work behind the scenes to ensure they do everything they can to get Fabio Carvalho to Anfield by the end of the season.
