Liverpool Selling Carvalho: Contract Clause a Factor

Liverpool have already rejected a bid from RB Leipzig for Fabio Carvalho, and though their stance is he would only move on loan, that could change with the inclusion of a buy-back clause. West Ham, Brentford and Burnley are also said to be interested in temporary deals for the 20-year-old, though Football Insider’s David Lynch reports that a permanent transfer “appeals more to the player.” Liverpool view Carvalho as a “future starter” and will take a “hardline stance” over bids for him. However, a buy-back clause tentatively discussed could change the club’s view on selling Carvalho this summer. This clause would allow Liverpool to re-sign the midfielder in the future for a fee determined in the negotiations for his sale. Liverpool initially attempted to sign Carvalho in the January transfer window in 2022, only for a snag in the paperwork seeing the deal fall through. A £7.7 million compensation fee was then agreed with Fulham ahead of the summer, with £2.7 million of that being performance-based add-ons. If a buying club were to agree to a buy-back clause, it would almost certainly be much higher, on the understanding that Liverpool would only wish to trigger it if Carvalho developed into a top-level player. As it stands, it seems likely that Carvalho will leave the club this summer in one way or another – though it remains to be seen whether that will be permanently or on loan.