Liverpool have already rejected a bid for Fabio Carvalho, and though their stance is he would only move on loan, that could change with a clause.
Carvalho is attracting widespread interest ahead of the summer, and this week it emerged that Liverpool had turned down a permanent offer.
That bid from RB Leipzig was deemed “derisory,” according to the Times‘ Paul Joyce, with club sources insisting they “will [only] listen to loan proposals.”
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.”
Joyce explains that Liverpool will take a “hardline stance” over bids for their No. 28 as they view him as a “future starter.”
However, Lynch adds that the inclusion of a buy-back clause may change the club’s view on selling Carvalho this summer.
A buy-back clause, which has been “tentatively discussed,” would allow Liverpool to re-sign the midfielder in the future for a fee determined in the negotiations for his sale.
That was the case when Sheffield United signed Rhian Brewster in 2020, and when Bournemouth agreed a double deal for Jordon Ibe and Brad Smith in 2016.
In each of those instances, though, the players did not make the progress perhaps expected and Liverpool opted against activating their buy-back option.
Doing so with Carvalho would at least ensure value if he were to follow the trajectory many hoped when he swapped Fulham for Anfield last summer.
Liverpool initially attempted to sign the Portuguese-born youngster 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.
