A little over four hours was left in the January transfer window and Fulham starlet Fabio Carvalho was on route to attend a last-minute medical in London.
The 19-year-old attacking-midfielder, who joined Fulham in 2014 as a child, was wanted by Liverpool and the Anfield club was determined to get hold of his signature before the clock struck 11pm on January 31.
Despite their best efforts, a hold up with the paperwork meant that the Premier League title hopefuls failed to raid Craven Cottage for a potential superstar, following the signing of Harvey Elliott, for the second time in two-and-a-half years.
Nevertheless, Liverpool remain confident of securing Carvalho's signature in the summer, even if recent reports in the national media have suggested that Manchester United are ready to enter the battle. According to the Daily Star, United are planning to 'hijack' Liverpool's move for him and are going to try and lure him to Old Trafford, adding to their entourage of Portuguese nationals.
Despite not turning 20 until the very end of August, Carvalho, who started his youth career at Benfica, has played a pivotal role in Fulham's push for promotion from the Championship this season, scoring seven goals and claiming five assists in 21 appearances. Furthermore, he also experienced the buzz of scoring against one of the Premier League's elite earlier this month, netting in Fulham's 4-1 defeat to Manchester City in the fourth-round of the FA Cup at the Etihad Stadium.
As you can imagine with a 19-year-old Portuguese starlet wowing audiences in the Championship, plenty of attention surrounds Carvalho, especially when you consider that the gap between England's second-tier and the Premier League is decreasing because of the wealth of talent on offer.
Along with Nottingham Forest wonderkid Brennan Johnson, Carvalho, who can operate as a No.10 or out wide, is considered as one of the Championship's hottest properties and his potential is sky-high, as highlighted by Jurgen Klopp's recent desperation to lure him to Anfield as Sky Sports' transfer clock in the corner of your TV screen ticked towards reading zero.
Admittedly, United have not been forthcoming when it has come to picking talent from the Championship or Leagues One and Two in recent years, with the additions of Daniel James from Swansea City in 2019, Wilfried Zaha from Crystal Palace in 2013 and Nick Powell from Crewe Alexandra in 2012 the only exceptions.
But as the likes of Arsenal's Ben White, Jarrod Bowen of West Ham United and Elliott, amongst others, have proven in recent years, the step up from the Championship to the Premier League can be successfully completed, even if it takes time and maybe even a loan spell elsewhere before being tasked with making the grade.
For example, Elliott, following his arrival at Anfield as a 16-year-old in July 2019, spent last season on loan at Blackburn Rovers, competing in a well-respected, competitive environment, and it was the making of him. He started three of Liverpool's opening four Premier League games this season and had it not been for a serious ankle injury he would have almost certainly remained a key figure within Klopp's plans, as he has done since recently making his return.
Although Carvalho, if he were to join United this summer, would be three years Elliott's senior at the time of his move to Liverpool, the youngster, who has been capped for England at Under-15, 16, 17 and 18 level, despite being born in Portugal, remains incredibly young and has plenty of time to develop into a player that would be deemed acceptable for the standard United demand.
Whilst interim manager Ralf Rangnick is not expected to be in charge of first-team matters next season, his presence at the club, tied in with how he has opened the door on youth since arriving at Old Trafford in November, could pave the way for Carvalho to make a name for himself in United colours.
Of course, as with any transfer, there are not any guarantees that Carvalho would make the grade at Old Trafford, but Liverpool's desperation to secure his signature should provide the Reds with enough evidence to suggest that the 19-year-old is a highly exciting talent with enormous potential.
Considering how Elliott is beginning to threaten to become a future star at Anfield, United should do all they can to avoid Liverpool repeating the trick, instead turning the tables on them and snatching Carvalho from under their noses.
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