Liverpool have confirmed the signing of 19-year-old Fabio Carvalho from Fulham for an undisclosed fee.
The Reds came close to sealing the teenager's signature in the January transfer window, and Carvalho was understood to have agreed personal terms and completed a medical with the club.
However, Liverpool could not get the paperwork over the line before the 11pm deadline and were forced to wait until the summer months to continue their pursuit of Carvalho.
Jurgen Klopp's side were believed to have agreed a deal in principle to sign Carvalho back in March, and Fulham boss Marco Silva recently confirmed that the 19-year-old would not be at the club next season.
"About next season, he will not be our football player. It's difficult for me, I can't speak about the situation," the Fulham boss told reporters.
"You know how I love the boy, I don't need to repeat again. I would love to have him with me more time as well at this football club, but it's what you can do and it's difficult sometimes for us to accept, that is football and that's life.
"I don't have news about it. You ask me if I would like to keep him here, I'm 100% sure. But we will see if it would not be possible."
Following the completion of the 2021-22 domestic season, Liverpool have officially confirmed that Carvalho will join the club on a permanent deal on July 1, and the teenager is understood to have signed a five-year contract.
Having grown up in his native Portugal, Carvalho spent three years in the youth ranks at Benfica before a one-year stint at Balham FC between 2013 and 2014.
Carvalho spent eight years at Craven Cottage, and after rising through the youth ranks, he ended the 2021-22 Championship season with 10 goals and eight assists to his name from 36 matches.
The Cottagers sealed an immediate return to the Premier League thanks to Carvalho's efforts, but the attacking midfielder was due to become a free agent this summer.
Carvalho leaves Fulham having made a total of 44 appearances for the senior team - including four outings in the Premier League towards the end of their doomed 2020-21 season.
The teenager netted his first top-flight goal in a 3-1 defeat to Southampton on May 15 of last year, while he has one goal and one assist from two matches at Under-21 level for Portugal.
Liverpool have not confirmed a transfer fee, but Fulham can supposedly expect to receive an upfront payment of £5m, which could rise to £7.7m with performance-related add-ons.
Silva's side are also understood to have been granted a 20% sell-on clause as part of the deal, and Carvalho is expected to be integrated straight into the Reds' first team next term.
Carvalho was granted permission from Fulham to take a trip to the Reds' AXA Training Centre to meet with Klopp and sign his contract until the summer of 2027.
With Fulham pushing for promotion while negotiations were rumbling on in the background, Liverpool opted to delay the announcement of Carvalho's signing until the end of the season. body check tags ::
