Liverpool complete £7.7m deal for Carvalho

LIVERPOOL have wasted no time in strengthening their squad for next season by completing a £7.7million deal to sign Fabio Carvalho from Fulham. The Portugal Under 21 winger will become a Liverpool player officially on July 1 after he helped Marco Silva’s side seal their return to the Premier League and is set to be part of the squad that goes to the Far East on a pre-season tour. Though he is only 19 and has little top-flight experience, Liverpool have no intention of loaning Carvalho back to Fulham. They want him to be part of Klopp’s squad. Liverpool wanted Carvalho in January and were in the process of securing a deal then but Fulham were adamant he stayed with them to aid their promotion push. He scored 10 goals in 36 league appearances. Fulham and Liverpool had experienced strained relations following the Reds’ move for Harvey Elliott in July 2019 but the situation was patched up last summer when Harry Wilson moved from Anfield. Liverpool will pay an initial £5m for Carvalho, who came through the Benfica academy, with a further £2.7m payable if certain objectives are realised. Fulham would also be due 20 per cent of any future sale. With foreign clubs trying to register an interest in Carvalho, Liverpool wrapped up negotiations with his agent Jorge Mendes last month. Fulham allowed Carvalho to travel to Merseyside to meet Jurgen Klopp and have a medical. Carvalho wanted the season to be finished before his future was announced. Thiago Alcantara, meanwhile, still has a chance of featuring in Saturday’s Champions League final after a scan yesterday showed the damage he suffered to his achilles tendon in the 3-1 win over Wolves was not serious. Klopp also expects Fabinho to resume training this week with the midfielder making good progress from a hamstring pull.