Liverpool midfielder Fabio Carvalho is reportedly attracting interest from Southampton after returning to Anfield.
Over the weekend, the Merseyside giants confirmed that they had recalled the playmaker from his loan stint with Bundesliga outfit RB Leipzig.
The hope had been that the 21-year-old would cement a first-team place at the German side, but the opposite has transpired with just two starts being provided in all competitions.
A further 12 outings came from the substitutes' bench, but despite a recent start in a Champions League dead-rubber with Young Boys, Liverpool were not convinced that the Portugal Under-21 international would break into the first XI on a regular basis.
Although Carvalho is back on Merseyside, he is unlikely to be considered for selection by Jurgen Klopp while decisions are made over his future.
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According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, the current plan is for Carvalho to again depart Liverpool before the end of the January transfer window.
Romano says that Southampton are one of a number of clubs who are contemplating whether to present Liverpool with a formal loan approach in due course.
Russell Martin's side are currently on a 17-match undefeated streak in the Championship, keeping them within three points of the second automatic promotion spot behind runaway leaders Leicester City.
Nevertheless, the expectation is that the Saints will be active in January as they bid to move past faltering Ipswich Town, and Carvalho has seemingly been identified as a top target.
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From Liverpool's perspective, it is alleged that they will show preference to finding a club that will commit to handing Carvalho's regular minutes for the rest of the season.
While the assumption is that they would prefer a top-flight club, the desire is to see Carvalho play considerably more than just the 360 minutes that he accumulated at Leipzig.
Despite Premier League clubs expressing an interest, Romano says that Liverpool will insist on no buy options being included if they are to agree to a proposal courtesy of Carvalho being due to be reintegrated back into Klopp's squad in the future.
Last season, the former Fulham youngster made 21 outings for Liverpool in all competitions, albeit many of them coming in the first half of the campaign.
Darren Plant
