Liverpool are looking to bring Fulham midfielder Fabio Carvalho to Anfield before Monday's 11pm transfer window deadline.
Carvalho's contract at Fulham is set to expire at the end of the season, but it appears the Reds would prefer to complete a transfer for the Portuguese youngster now rather than later to fend off any competition, with the 19-year-old now able to discuss signing pre-contracts for the summer.
Despite Liverpool 's intent to sign Carvalho this January, the Reds are reluctant to pay a big fee for a player who is available on a free transfer in six months, with the Echo understanding a £5 million bid has been tabled by Jurgen Klopp's side which would see the attacker sent back to Fulham on loan for the rest of the season.
The Portuguese youngster can play a number of attacking roles and has been influential for Fulham as they look to return to the Premier League, scoring seven goals and grabbing four assists in 18 appearances as the Cottagers sit top of the Championship.
Reports claimed Liverpool's chief scout Barry Hunter attended Fulham's 6-2 win against Bristol City on January 15, and if Liverpool were to make a move for the 19-year-old in the summer, Carvalho would follow in the footsteps of ex-teammate Harvey Elliot.
Elliot joined Liverpool in the summer of 2019 and made his stamp on the first team at the beginning of this season after a season on loan at Blackburn Rovers, but his injury suffered against Leeds on September 12 has sidelined him ever since.
So, if Liverpool were to sign Carvalho in the summer, what sort of impact could the 19-year-old have?
How long could it take for him to break into the first team?
We simulated the next three seasons with Carvalho in the Liverpool squad and this is what happened.
We 'signed' Fabio Carvalho for Liverpool in July 2022
To set up this simulation, we used the Football Manager 2022 editor to arrange for Carvalho to join Liverpool at the start of the 2022 summer transfer window, using FM22 to run the simulation.
2022/23 season
Carvalho spent most of his time with the Liverpool U23's in his first season at the Reds, but he did feature a couple of times for the first team in certain cup competitions.
Carvalho made two appearances in the Papa Johns Trophy for the U23's, grabbing two goals in that time and averaging a rating of 7.5.
For the first team, Carvalho featured for Liverpool in their Carabao Cup third-round win over West Brom, grabbing an assist and MOTM in the 2-0 win.
He also made two appearances off the bench in the Champions League group stages, averaging a rating of 6.5.
2023/24 season
Carvalho made over double the number of appearances for Liverpool in the 2023/24 season, including his first in the Premier League for the Reds.
Out of his 12 appearances, 10 of them came from the bench, with his two starts coming in the Carabao Cup.
He only grabbed one goal in those 12 games, coming in the Carabao Cup fourth round defeat to Southampton, with the 19-year-old opening the scoring in a 2-1 defeat.
Carvalho averaged a rating of 6.87 in all competitions, with his average of 7.35 in the Carabao Cup his best competition.
In the 2023/24 simulated season, Liverpool won the Premier League for the second consecutive season, whilst Man City finished fifth after the departure of Pep Guardiola.
Liverpool also signed Robert Lewandowski in the summer of 2023 who joined on a free transfer following the expiration of his contract, meaning a place in the starting XI was difficult for Carvalho.
2024/25 season
The 2024/25 season was Carvalho's breakthrough into the first-team, becoming. a regular starter for the Reds as he made 41 appearances across all competitions.
Out of those 41 appearances, 30 came in the Premier League where he featured most, averaging a rating of 7.16 in the league.
Overall, he grabbed nine goals and seven assists in all competitions, averaging a rating of 7.19 per game.
At the end of the 2024/25 season, Football Manager 2022 put together an overall best Liverpool XI, based on performances, statistics and other metrics.
This is what Liverpool's best XI looked like at the end of the 2024/25 season as predicted by Football Manager 2022:
Full Liverpool best XI (4-2-3-1): Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, van Dijk, Matip, Robertson; Henderson, Fabinho; Salah, Carvalho, Szoboszlai; Haaland.
Carvalho made it into the Liverpool best XI at the end of the 2024/25 season, keeping the likes of Diogo Jota, Sadio Mane and Thiago out of the XI.
Compared to players who can play his position, Carvalho grabbed the second most goal and assists, only behind Mohamed Salah who tallied an incredible 33 goals and 12 assists in 49 games.
The 19-year-old also averaged the third-best average rating, only behind Salah and Mane.
So, how did Liverpool perform in the league and cup competitions after Carvalho's first full season in the starting XI with the Reds?
Liverpool's results from the simulation
Liverpool won the Premier League title for the third consecutive season in what was a thrilling title battle which saw just three points separate first and fifth.
The Reds finished on 81 points, one more than Man United and Arsenal in second and third, and Liverpool also scored the most (80) and conceded the fewest (31), handing them the superior goal difference.
Carvalho scored Liverpool's most important goal of the season in the 2024/25 campaign, with his ninth-minute strike against Manchester United handing the Reds a 1-0 win in the Champions League final.
The Reds were knocked out in the early stages of the FA Cup and Carabao Cup as they ended the season with the Premier League and Champions League to their name.
Overall this Football Manager simulation predicts that if Liverpool were to sign youngster Fabio Carvalho this month, although it could take about three seasons for the 19-year-old to fully integrate into the first team, the Portuguese midfielder could eventually have a huge impact at the club, potentially helping the Reds lift the Premier League and Champions League.
Would you like to see Fabio Carvalho sign for Liverpool? Let us know in the comments!
