Southampton manager Russell Martin has confirmed that contact has been made with Liverpool and Fabio Carvalho over a potential move for the 21-year-old after having a recent bid rejected by the Reds .
Martin has also admitted that he retains an admiration for the Portuguese attacking midfielder and remains keen to bring him to the south coast on a permanent deal ahead of the 2024-25 campaign. It comes after reports on Sunday claimed Liverpool had rejected a £20million bid for the player from the Saints, just a day after he scored in the 3-0 victory over Manchester United in a pre-season friendly in the United States.
According to The Athletic , Liverpool has no interest in sanctioning another loan move for Carvalho after the youngster spent last season with RB Leipzig and then Hull City, preferring to move him on permanently and for a much higher fee.
READ MORE: Fabio Carvalho makes Casemiro look foolish as Liverpool future becomes clearer
READ MORE: Liverpool could make millions to fund exciting Arne Slot moves as transfer window set to heat up
But that's not to say the club wants to get rid of the former Fulham star. In fact, Slot has been very complimentary of the player, having been impressed by his attitude and performances in pre-season so far . With a large contingent of first-team stars yet to return, Carvalho has been able to stand out among the rest.
However, despite Liverpool remaining keen to keep the 21-year-old, talks look likely to continue between themselves and Southampton over the coming days, although Saints boss Martin conceded the decision around Carvalho's future ultimately lies with Slot.
“He is a player we have liked for a while. We spoke in January but couldn’t get it done for one reason or another. We had a lot of strength in that position. He went and done really well at Hull. We are linked and rumour mill at this time of year is really hot," Martin told Sky Sports.
"So we've been linked with a lot of players, some far away from the truth, some very true. He is a player I admire and like, but I'm sure lots of other managers do as well. I don't really have any more information on it now apart from that."
Martin added: "We'll have to wait and see. I'm on a call this evening with the owners and the chief executive because it never stops in pre-season. We'll discuss the strategy moving forward on every player we're involved with."
While both Liverpool and Carvalho would like him to remain at Anfield beyond this summer, the latter has made it clear that if he is not handed the game-time he desires, then he will look to move on . Having only signed in the summer of 2022, Carvalho still has three more years to run on his contract.
But interest in him isn't expected to be few and far between, either. If Southampton cannot get a deal over the line quick enough, it will most likely be rivalled by other suitors looking to snap up the Portugal Under-21 international before time runs out.
Most Popular
Comments / 0