Fulham have opened preliminary discussions with Liverpool over a return to Craven Cottage for Fabio Carvalho, according to various reports this morning.

The Motspur Park academy graduate left the Whites last summer having helped Marco Silva’s side win the Championship. The Portuguese under-21 international has struggled for game time at Anfield, making just 21 appearances in all competitions and playing only five Premier League minutes since last November. Liverpool rejected an offer from RB Leipzig for the 20 year-old attacking midfielder and are only willing to allow the talented youngster to leave on loan.

Carvalho, who moved to Merseyside for around £7.7m last July having rejected the chance to leave Fulham permanently in January because he wanted to help his boyhood club return to the top flight, flourished upon being promoted to the senior squad by Marco Silva when his compatriot took over from Scott Parker in the summer of 2021. He scored twelve goals in 44 senior appearances for the Whites, having starred for the club’s youth sides having joined Fulham in 2015 from Balham.

Silva is seeking reinforcements in the number ten role that Carvalho made his own a season ago with Andreas Pereira likely to the start of the new Premier League season. Several other Premier League sides are keeping tabs on Carvalho’s availability but Fulham are believed to be leading the race at present.