Liverpool have won the race to sign Fulham wonderkid Fabio Carvalho, GOAL can confirm, with the player set to sign a five-year contract amid a transfer worth a base fee of £5 million plus £3m in add-ons.
Indeed, that £8 million total fee still stands, with it now appearing that Jurgen Klopp will get his man in the summer.
What's the details?
Liverpool have been keen to avoid going to a tribunal over Carvalho's signing, which would be required as the player is under the age of 24 and is out of contract in the summer.
Negotiations with the Championship side - who are 11 points clear at the top of the table and appear destined for a return to the Premier League - were cordial in January 2022, with time ultimately running out to finalise the move on deadline day.
A number of clubs have been keen on signing the highly-rated 19-year-old, who has made 30 senior appearances for the Cottagers in the 2021-22 season, scoring eight goals.
It is Liverpool who have always been favourites to land his signature, however, and GOAL can confirm that despite interest from a host of other clubs across Europe, the Reds have secured a deal that will take him to Anfield in the summer.
They will pay an initial £5m ($6.5m) with up to £3m ($4m) in performance-related add-ons. There is also a 20 per cent sell-on clause included, with Carvalho set to finalise a five-year contract.
He will not be loaned back to the Cottagers next season, with Liverpool expecting him to compete for a first-team spot immediately.
Klopp is a big admirer of the Portuguese, who, after representing England at youth level now appears to have settled on playing for Portugal after turning out for their Under-21 side during the most recent international break.
Commenting on speculation linking Liverpool with Carvalho, Klopp said in February 2022: "I don't know. We will see. We are obviously still interested, it would be crazy if we are not.
"It's obviously not in our hands. It was late before the deadline [in January] and it didn't work out. We will see what happens."
Carvalho will not be the only youngster moving to Merseyside this summer. Liverpool are also set to sign 16-year-old winger Ben Doak from Celtic in a £600,000 ($795,000) deal.
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