Liverpool can expect their resolve to keep hold of Fabio Carvalho to be severely tested in the coming weeks.
The ECHO understands the Reds have been contacted by a number of potential suitors from both home and abroad regarding the former Fulham youngster, but have no intention of allowing him to depart for good this summer.
Indeed, while Jurgen Klopp last month suggested there was a possibility the 20-year-old could go out on loan - newly-promoted Burnley among the clubs interested - Liverpool have already rejected an offer of a permanent transfer from RB Leipzig that wouldn't have given them much profit on their initial outlay of £5.5million.
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The Bundesliga side are expected to return again with a buy-back clause being mooted to tempt the Reds into parting with the player. And the claim is Carvalho would favour a switch to Germany where he could play Champions League football and look to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Jude Bellingham and Jadon Sancho.
Following a frustrating first season at Anfield, where he was limited to just eight starts and featured for only eight minutes in the Premier League after the mid-season World Cup, such an exit admittedly would make sense for Carvalho. Yet, Liverpool’s own reluctance is also understandable with the player considered a long-term prospect.
With such a compensation package with Fulham, which included a 20% sell-on clause, potentially rising to £7.7m with add-ons, it’s clear the Reds expect a greater return on such an investment further down the line. Of course, that could manifest in the form of major figures within the club who believe the versatile forward can be a difference maker in time at Anfield being proven right, or, at the very least, the club banking a more significant fee if Carvalho’s permanent future indeed lay elsewhere.
And Leipzig’s interest in Carvalho should set alarm bells ringing at Anfield anyway if Liverpool did end up u-turning on their ‘not for sale’ stance. After all, with the Red Bull group’s transfer set-up admired greatly on Merseyside and the envy of many across the continent, it reiterates that the Reds’ faith in the Portuguese’s talents, despite an underwhelming maiden campaign, is not misplaced.
When it comes to unearthing young talents, be them well-known like Carvalho or more unknown quantities, the Red Bull’s scouting set-up is one of the best around. You only need to look at the number of global stars to have been snapped up by Leipzig or Red Bull Salzburg over the past decade to see this has been the case for quite some time, with Liverpool benefitting further down the line on more than one occasion.
The likes of Sadio Mane, Kevin Kampl, Duje Caleta-Car, Peter Gulacsi, Naby Keita, Takumi Minamino, Marcel Sabitzer, Konrad Laimer, Dayot Upamecano, Hee-chan Hwang, Munas Dabbur, Dominik Szoboszlai, Patson Daka, Enock Mwepu, Erling Haaland, Karim Adeyemi, Maximilian Wober, Rasmus Kristensen, and Brenden Aaronson have all left Salzburg for bigger and better things in the major European leagues, with Benjamin Sesko hopeful of becoming the latest name to join such a list when he joins Leipzig this summer.
Meanwhile, Joshua Kimmich, Ante Rebic, Emil Forsberg, Timo Werner, Ibrahima Konate, Ademola Lookman, Emile Smith-Rowe, Tyler Adams, Nordi Mukiele, Patrik Schick, Angelino, Christian Nkunku, Dani Olmo, and Josko Gvardiol are all added to the Red Bull group’s star-studded alumni at Leipzig, with Sabitzer, Gulacsi, Upamecano, Keita, Laimer, Kampl, Hwang, and Szoboszlai also making the move to the Bundesliga outfit. Red Bull’s transfer record very much speaks for itself.
If Leipzig were to snap up Carvalho, there is a fear that Liverpool’s loss would be Leipzig’s gain. And from all the aforementioned names, Lookman perhaps acts as the biggest warning.
Like Carvalho proving himself in the Championship with Fulham, the Nigeria international did the same at Charlton Athletic with his form earning him a £7.5m move, rising to £11m with add-ons, to Everton in January 2017.
He would score on his Blues debut in a 4-0 victory over Man City later that month but, after finding game-time limited in his first year at Goodison, insisted on joining RB Leipzig on loan in January 2018 after rejecting a similar switch to Derby County.
He would return an impressive five goals and four assists from 11 appearances for the Bundesliga outfit, and, following another frustrating season at Everton, ended up departing for Leipzig permanently in a £22.5m deal. The Blues would ultimately more than double their money on a bit-part player who started only 14 of his 48 appearances, with only seven coming in the Premier League, registering four goals and two assists.
In truth, the 2019/20 season did not go to plan either for Lookman. Limited to just 13 appearances, starting just twice, he found himself enjoying year-long loans with Fulham, where he was team-mates with Carvalho, and Leicester City in 2020/21 and 2021/22 respectively as a result.
Returning four goals and four assists from 34 Premier League appearances for the Cottagers, as they suffered relegation, he fared better with the Foxes as he registered eight goals, including a memorable winner against Liverpool, and five assists, from 42 appearances.
While such form would not earn him a reprieve at Leipzig, it did grant him a permanent €15m switch to Atalanta last summer. He hasn’t looked back since, making him a rare Red Bull misfire in the process.
The 25-year-old was one of the star performers in Serie A this season, with only Victor Osimhen, Lautaro Martinez, Boulaye Dia, and Rafael Leao bettering his return of 13 goals. Meanwhile, his overall return for Atalanta stood at 15 goals and seven assists from 33 appearances in all competitions.
Considering Everton’s own struggles in recent years, imagine how they could have benefitted from such a player in their ranks. Ultimately, Lookman has belatedly shown why the Blues signed him in the first place. Had Sean Dyche’s goal-shy side suffered relegation while the forward was scoring for fun in Serie A, the juxtaposition would not be lost.
While the Nigerian might not have demonstrated his best form in his permanent stint with Leipzig, his own fortunes reiterate why it is wise to not sell a talented youngster too early. Having earned the attentions of the Red Bull scouting team, this season, albeit elsewhere, the forward successfully demonstrated why. Would you bet against Carvalho from one day doing the same?
Everton at least banked a more significant fee by retaining Lookman’s services for as long as they did, in contrast to what the Bundesliga outfit first offered for Carvalho. Liverpool would be wise to follow suit and stick to their guns regarding a loan exit despite Leipzig’s best efforts to convince them otherwise. They currently hold ownership of the player's future, so, even if offered a buy-back clause, why willingly sign that away?
“It’s a short-term and a long-term project,” Klopp declared after signing the Portuguese from Fulham last summer. “He can start tomorrow and he needs to adapt, you can see that a little bit. But when he has the ball that’s proper quality. I’m over the moon that he’s here. Fantastic prospect.”
If Liverpool are still committed to their ‘long-term project’, they need to ensure Carvalho is their long-term gain and no-one else’s.
By all means, sanction a loan departure to grant the forward valuable senior game-time. But Reds bosses don’t want to find themselves in a situation where they let the 20-year-old slip through their fingers after fighting so hard for his signature in the first place, and, a couple of years down the line, find themselves wondering, ‘Why did we sell him again?’.
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