Liverpool attacker Fabio Carvalho is reportedly set to join Hull City on loan for the remainder of the season.
The 21-year-old spent the first half of the 2023-24 campaign with German giants RB Leipzig, but his switch to the Bundesliga did not work out as intended, and he was recalled to Anfield at the start of the month.
Liverpool still believe that Carvalho will be an important player for the club in years to come, but the Reds are hoping to send him out on another short-term deal while he remains low down in Jurgen Klopp's pecking order.
A return to Fulham has been mooted for the Portugal Under-21 international - who burst onto the scene with the Cottagers in the 2021-22 campaign - while Wolverhampton Wanderers have also been credited with an interest.
However, Liverpool are seemingly in favour of sending Carvalho back down to the Championship, where he will have ample opportunities for game time, and several second-tier clubs have been linked with a swoop.
© Reuters
Leeds United, Southampton and Leicester City have supposedly all shown an interest in taking Carvalho on loan for the second half of the campaign, but according to The Athletic, Hull City have won the race to sign him on a temporary basis.
While no agreement has been reached just yet, the Tigers are said to be positioned above Southampton at the head of the queue, although the Saints have not yet given up hope of a deal.
However, the report adds that Carvalho has already held "positive" discussions with Tigers head coach Liam Rosenior, and his Reds teammate Tyler Morton - on loan at the MKM Stadium - has also given a glowing reference.
Liverpool are happy to let Carvalho have the final say on his future, as both Hull and Southampton's offers are to their liking, but the consensus is that the ex-Fulham man will be a Tigers player by the end of the week.
While on the books at Craven Cottage, Carvalho scored 10 goals and set up eight more in 36 Championship matches to help Fulham achieve promotion in the 2021-22 season, convincing Liverpool to bring him to Anfield in a deal potentially reaching £7.7m.
© Reuters
The 21-year-old scored three goals in 21 appearances for Liverpool during his debut campaign, netting a dramatic last-minute winner in a 2-1 Premier League victory over Newcastle United after also scoring in a 9-0 thrashing of Bournemouth.
Carvalho's third and most recent strike for the Reds came in an EFL Cup loss to Manchester City in December 2022, but he consistently struggled for game time in the second half of the 2022-23 campaign.
The Portuguese attacker's fortunes did not improve at Leipzig, where he made 15 appearances under Marco Rose but failed to register a single goal or assist and totalled just 360 minutes of football.
Carvalho made just one Bundesliga starting lineup for Leipzig and only played the full 90 minutes on one occasion, a 2-1 win over BSC Young Boys in Die Roten Bullen's final Champions League group game.
Ben Knapton
