Real Madrid and Barcelona have joined the race to sign Fulham midfielder Fabio Carvalho this summer.

Liverpool are still considered the favourites to land the teenage sensation, having narrowly failed to sign the England youth international on transfer deadline day but Spanish sports paper Marca claims that Jurgen Klopp’s side will face stiff competition from the Spanish giants, who are both preparing to freshen up their squad with young talent during the close season.

Carvalho is out of contract at the end of June and the youngster has long attracted interest from across Europe. Barcelona and Real Madrid scouts have tracked his progress from Fulham’s youth sides into the first team since his senior debut last season. The playmaker scored his eight goal of an outstanding campaign against Premier League leaders Manchester City on Saturday.

Carvalho is likely to have his pick of potential suitors at the end of the season – although the risk for Fulham is that they will only receive a nominal development fee should he elect to move abroad. The Championship leaders will try and persuade him to continue his development at Craven Cottage under Marco Silva by making another contract offer in the coming weeks, using the prospect of regular Premier League football as a carrot.