Liverpool looked set to sign Fabio Carvalho and loan him back to Fulham but completing both deals before Monday's 11pm deadline could be difficult; Carvalho has entered the last six months of his contract; Liverpool defender Nat Phillips joins Championship side Bournemouth on loan
Monday 31 January 2022 23:27, UK
Liverpool's deal to sign Fulham forward Fabio Carvalho and loan the teenager back to the Championship leaders until the end of the season is in the balance.
It is understood there is a real chance the two clubs could run out of time to complete the deal, with the transfer window closing at 11pm on Monday.
Both Carvalho's move to Liverpool and his temporary switch back to Fulham need to be completed before the deadline, otherwise the deal will not happen.
Liverpool are one of a number of clubs that are interested in the 19-year-old, who has entered the final six months of his deal at Craven Cottage.
Fulham insist they want both a sizeable transfer fee and for Carvalho to remain at the club for the rest of the season, and it appears Liverpool have met those conditions.
Fulham would be entitled to compensation set by a tribunal should the teenager join another English side at the end of his contract.
The expiry of Carvalho's deal would also open the door to a move abroad as continental clubs would only need to pay a nominal fee for the forward.
Carvalho made his first-team debut for Fulham last season and has gone on to establish himself this campaign with seven goals and four assists in 18 Championship appearances.
Speaking last week, Fulham boss Marco Silva insisted Carvalho would not leave the club this month, despite it potentially being the final opportunity to receive a transfer fee for him.
"Fabio will be with us until the end of the season," Silva said. "I would like to see him here for more years.
"From day one I have been trying to keep him. It is not a surprise that clubs are interested in Fabio. We are talking about a young player with big talent.
"The situation is not easy because he is in the last year of his contract, but that is the reality. It is out of our plans for him to leave the club in this window.
"It has been difficult for us to renew with him, but we are trying.
"It is always difficult with a player of this talent - even with a contract it is difficult to keep him, and without it is even worse. But Fabio will be with us until the end of this season."
Sky Sports' Richard Morgan:
It is not hard to see why Liverpool are interested in signing Carvalho, who at just 19 and as a versatile forward who likes to operate on the left hand side of a front three, would tick a lot of boxes when it comes to the profile of an attacking player Jurgen Klopp likes to sign.
Not only that, but having been in the UK since moving here from Portugal aged 11, Carvalho also qualifies as a homegrown player, an added attraction for Liverpool.
However, whether Fulham would be willing to sell someone who has been so integral to their push to get back in the Premier League this season is open to question, even if the west London club would get more for the England U18 international in January than if they wait until the summer when his contract at Craven Cottage runs out.
In that scenario, as was also the case when Harvey Elliott left Fulham for Liverpool in July 2019, Fulham would only get a compensation fee - decided by a tribunal - for Carvalho.
So do Fulham opt to cash in on their star man now - clubs in Spain are also reportedly keen on the youngster, although the compensation fee the Cottagers would get from La Liga clubs is far lower than if they sold to a Premier League side - but risk hindering their chances of a top-flight return?
Or do they hold on to him until the end of the season in the hope Carvalho can help them hold on to top spot in the Championship, when the financial riches they would receive would negate any reduction in the forward's transfer fee?
Liverpool defender Nat Phillips has completed a loan move to Bournemouth until the end of the season.
The club had hoped to sell the centre-back permanently but it is understood they have taken an arrangement fee of £1.5m, plus an additional £250,000 if the Cherries get promoted from the Championship, because of the offer of regular game time.
Having had an earlier £7m bid turned down, Newcastle made a request for a loan with commitment to buy if they stayed up, while Leicester also wanted Phillips on a short deal, but with playing time limited at both they were not seen as attractive propositions by the club.
Burnley were also interested but are unlikely to make any move until James Tarkowski, whose contract expires in the summer, leaves.
Phillips told Sky Sports News in December he was ready for a move away from Liverpool this month.
For Liverpool, there was no rush to sell Phillips, who made 17 league appearances for the Reds last season, after he signed a new deal in August that keeps him at Anfield until 2025.
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