Mystery Champions League club that bid for Liverpool star Fabio Carvalho identified: Reports
The mystery UEFA Champions League club that made an offer to buy Liverpool attacker Fabio Carvalho have been identified as RB Leipzig.
Carvalho, 20, joined the Reds from Fulham for a compromise fee of £5 million last summer. He made a positive start to his life at Anfield, bagging two goals in his first five Premier League appearances for the club.
However, the attacker found playing time hard to come by at Liverpool after the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He featured in all but three of the Merseyside-based club's 14 league games before the break but clocked just eight minutes of action in the English top-flight after December.
The Portugal U21 international's lack of involvement in the second half of the season has raised doubts about his future with the Reds. There are suggestions that he could leave the club in search of regular playing time.
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano reported on Monday (May 29) that Carvalho has been the subject of a bid from an unnamed foreign club. The journalist revealed that a club abroad have offered to sign the attacker on a permanent deal.
Romano later claimed that the club in question have qualified for the UEFA Champions League. The Times has now revealed the mystery club to be Bundesliga side Leipzig.
Leipzig fit Romano's description as they are outside England and qualified for the Champions League after finishing third in the Bundesliga. Their offer was, nevertheless, outright rejected by Liverpool.
According to The Times, the Reds deemed Leipzig's bid for Carvalho to be ridiculously small. Jurgen Klopp's side reportedly also have no plans to sanction a permanent exit for the attacker as they view him as a future starter.
The English giants, though, will consider loan offers for Carvalho as they understand the player's desire to play regularly. They have already fielded enquiries from several Premier League clubs, as per the report.
How did Fabio Carvalho fare in his last start for Liverpool?
Fabio Carvalho played 21 games across competitions for Liverpool in the 2022-23 season, although 13 of those appearances came off the bench. The attacker's last start for the Reds came in their 1-0 FA Cup win against Wolverhampton Wanderers in January.
The Portuguese started alongside Cody Gakpo and Harvey Elliott in attack that day. During the 66 minutes he was on the pitch, Fabio Carvalho had 38 touches of the ball. He completed 21 passes with 95% accuracy, including two key passes.
Furthermore, the former Fulham star completed one of the two dribbles attempted. He also won three of the nine duels he competed in and made one interception. The youngster won two freekicks for his side, but conceded possession seven times.
Liverpool could now send Fabio Carvalho on loan this summer to allow him to get significant first-team experience under his belt.