Liverpool were frustrated in their attempt to sign Fabio Carvalho from Fulham on deadline day despite being willing to pay up to £8.4m for the highly rated teenager.
A day of complex negotiations between the clubs saw Fulham reject Liverpool’s opening offer of £5m for a player out of contract this summer. An agreement was eventually reached for the improved fee only for Liverpool to run out of time to conclude personal terms and conduct a medical with the 19-year-old. A proposal for Fulham to keep the player on loan for the rest of the season also brought complications.
Jürgen Klopp had brought forward interest in the Portugal-born winger, who can also operate as an attacking midfielder, given the fierce competition that is expected for his signature at the end of the season.
Liverpool were prepared to hand a five-year contract to the England under-18 international, who has scored eight goals in 19 appearances for Marco Silva’s Championship leaders this season, but ultimately missed out on a second signing of the window after the arrival of Luis Díaz from Porto.
A deal to bring Carvalho to Anfield could be revisited, however, with a pre-contract agreement possible that would allow the player to join once his Fulham contract expires.
Liverpool did send the right-back Neco Williams on loan to Fulham for the rest of the season and, in other business with a promotion-chasing club, they allowed the central defender Nat Phillips to join Bournemouth on an identical basis.
The 24-year-old Phillips has been the subject of widespread interest this month, with Liverpool receiving two bids of £7m plus inquiries from Newcastle and Leicester, but the prospect of more regular first-team football with Scott Parker’s side proved more attractive to the player and the club.
Newcastle’s offer was a loan with a commitment to buy if they avoided relegation. Leicester also made an approach but Liverpool believed the defender would be only a back-up option for both Premier League suitors. Burnley were keen on Phillips in the event of James Tarkowski leaving but that has not materialised.
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Liverpool will receive a loan fee of £1.5m from Bournemouth plus an additional £250,000 if Parker’s team win promotion.
Bournemouth underlined their determination to go back up to the Premier League by also signing the strikers Siriki Dembélé and Kieffer Moore, the midfielder Todd Cantwell and the goalkeeper Freddie Woodman. Dembélé arrived from Peterborough and Moore from Cardiff, both for undisclosed fees, Cantwell on loan from Norwich and Woodman on loan from Newcastle.
