Liverpool have rejected a £15 million bid from Southampton for Fabio Carvalho less than 24 hours after the forward scored his second goal of their US tour.
Carvalho scored the opening goal of the game after 10 minutes against Manchester United in South Carolina, continuing his promising form after netting in a 2-1 win over Arsenal in Philadelphia three days earlier.
Promoted Saints’ bid falls “significantly short” of the amount Liverpool would want for Carvalho to leave permanently, according to BBC Sport, which said new Reds manager Arne Slot envisages using the Portuguese in a 4-2-3-1 formation after he impressed alongside defender Sepp van den Berg during pre-season.
“This is what pre-season is all about!” 🙌
Fabio Carvalho’s match reaction in Philly 🎙️ pic.twitter.com/xra1wCg2fI
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) August 1, 2024
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Liverpool transfer news: Carvalho to stay?
Speaking this week, Carvalho told Liverpool’s website that Slot would depend more on midfield play than predecessor Jurgen Klopp, naming team-mates Curtis Jones, Harvey Elliott and Dominik Szoboszlai among the players who would allow the new manager to adopt the approach.
“It’s about playing through them and getting me, Mo [Salah] and the players higher up, like [Diogo Jota], on the ball as well,” explained Carvalho. “Being able to play through the thirds is what we want to do and what the manager wants to be our identity.”
“He wants me to do the defensive stuff first. He knows what qualities I have. It’s good to have someone that’s always onto me, making sure I’m on it – and that’s what I’ve got from the gaffer.”
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) August 4, 2024
Fabio Carvalho stats
Carvalho joined Liverpool from Fulham in July 2022 for £5m plus add-ons, scoring his first goal in a 9-0 home win over Bournemouth the following month.
Now 21, he made 21 appearances and scored three goals in his first season but only played three times in the Premier League for a total of 11 minutes after mid-October.
A season-long loan to RB Leipzig followed in 2023/24, although Carvalho returned to Liverpool in December, having played 15 times for the Bundesliga side.
Fábio Carvalho has been named the @EFL‘s Young Player of the Month for April 🏆
Congratulations, Fábs 👏#hcafc
— Hull City (@HullCity) May 17, 2024
Championship club Hull City then signed him on loan, for whom Carvalho produced nine goals and two assists in 20 matches.
“It’s just good to get some minutes,” Carvalho said of playing on Liverpool’s US tour. “For young players like myself – and some of the even younger lads – it’s amazing and what you want to be part of. Everyone has got a chance to impress and we’ll just go from there.”
Liverpool host Sevilla in Slot’s first game in charge at Anfield on August 11 (12.30pm) before visiting Ipswich Town for their Premier League opener on August 17 (12.30pm).
