Liverpool have reportedly sealed a deal that will see Fabio Carvalho become their first signing of the summer for a fee that could rise to £7.7m.
The Fulham teenager's contract expires in a matter of months meaning he was free to negotiate his future with others clubs outside of England. Domestic teams, however, need to pay a tribunal fee or agree on a transfer with Fulham, which Liverpool have succeeded in doing.
The Reds made moves to sign Carvalho in January but failed to do so as they began making moves too late in the day. They were expected to return however and an agreement has been struck that will see the highly-rated midfielder head to Merseyside for next season, reports The Athletic.
Carvalho will become a Red on July 1 for an initial fee of £5 million with the Premier League side agreeing to a 20 per cent sell-on fee and a further £2.7 million in add-ons. The 19-year-old has already agreed on personal terms and completed his medical ahead of the switch.
The Fulham star is poised to sign a deal until 2027 after the two clubs remained in contact despite their January discussions falling through. The Portuguese-born teen is part of the Cottagers' push for promotion as they aim for a top-flight return at the first time of asking under Marco Silva.
Carvalho made his first-team debut in May 2021 and has enjoyed a rapid rise in west London. He has scored eight times in 31 outings in England's second-tier thus far whilst he has earned caps for Portugal's U21 side despite representing England in other age grades.
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Liverpool have previously raided Fulham after signing Harvey Elliott, another academy graduate at Craven Cottage, back in July 2019. He has gone on to become a major part of the first-team picture at Anfield despite the number of midfielders available to Jurgen Klopp.
Carvalho will be competing with the likes of Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, Naby Keita, Thiago as well as others. Fulham boss Silva refused to give any assurances that his young star would remain at the club after Liverpool made an attempt to sign him in January.
He said previously: "Even if I'm an optimistic person, I will not say that (we) have things under control. If I said that, I would be lying to you. But of course, it's not 100 per cent sure that the player will leave. It is a scenario, one that is possible, definitely. The only thing I said to you all was that Fabio would be with us until the end of the season."
