Fábio Carvalho, an offensive midfielder for Liverpool, has agreed to join Brentford for a reported fee of £27.5 million.
The Portuguese player, who was formerly with Fulham, will return to west London when the necessary procedures, which include a medical examination, are finished. Personal conditions have been decided upon. Having signed a £5 million initial contract in the summer of 2022 to join Liverpool from Fulham, he was under contract with the club until 2027.
Fulham holds a 20% sell-on clause for a player who played a pivotal role in their 2021-22 Championship promotion campaign before moving to Merseyside. Initially making an impact with a few goals in his first month as a first-team player, he later struggled to find consistent opportunities.
Last season saw him on loan at RB Leipzig and then Hull, where he rediscovered his form, scoring nine goals in the Championship with the Tigers. Despite some impressive pre-season performances, including goals from the left wing against Arsenal and Manchester United, he seems to be deemed surplus to requirements by Arne Slot, as he was previously by Jürgen Klopp.
Southampton recently had a bid rejected, but Brentford has made an offer including a 17.5% sell-on clause for the player, who is returning to London, where he moved as an 11-year-old. Carvalho, who represented England at junior levels before choosing to play for Portugal, is being targeted by Brentford after a knee injury sidelined their previous summer signing, Igor Thiago, until “late 2024.” With Ivan Toney’s future uncertain amid links to Manchester United and Arsenal, Thomas Frank aims to strengthen his squad after a close call last season.
Liverpool, still without a senior signing since Slot replaced Klopp, is expected to use the funds from Carvalho’s sale to target a deal for Euro 2024-winning midfielder Martín Zubimendi from Real Sociedad.