Brentford has accepted Leeds United’s £27.5m bid to sign former Liverpool star Fabio Carvalho. Terms agreed.
Brentford has accepted Leeds United’s £27.5m bid to sign former Liverpool star Fabio Carvalho. Terms agreed.
Leeds United have been given what appears a green light to sign long-term target Fabio Carvalho in January with chief executive Angus Kinnear confirming the former Liverpool man is on their wanted list and with the Brentford star’s father imploring him to leave the London side.
The Whites can return to the Championship summit once again on Saturday afternoon if they manage to put Blackburn to the sword at Ewood Park and consolidate what has been a really impressive start to the season for Daniel Farke’s side. Having won their last three games, including a run of six straight home wins, the German now boasts a 56.16% win percentage record – the highest of any manager in the club’s history.
With Leeds many people’s favourites to return to the Premier League this season, Farke knows there are many twists and turns ahead and admits he will keep their “eyes open” with regards to possible January recruits.
One of those who passed them by in the summer was Carvalho, who Leeds had wanted to sign on a season’s loan from Liverpool.
However, their efforts to bring the Portuguese playmaker to Elland Road were kiboshed when Brentford blew them out the water after seeing a club record £27.5m deal accepted by the Merseysiders for the player.
The move to London, though, has not worked out, with Carvalho limited to just two Premier League starts so far, with a further nine appearances off the bench only totalling 284 minutes.
Now his disgruntled father has urged Carvalho to leave the Gtech Community Stadium, writing in a now-deleted post on Instagram: “Son, you have to leave this club.”
What has Leeds chief Angus Kinnear said about Carvalho?
Carvalho, who has still managed two goals and three assists for the Bees across all competitions despite his limited opportunities so far, has previously indicated what a massive influence his father has had on his career and how Carvalho Senior persuaded him to move to Thomas Frank’s side in the first place.
However, with that move so far failing to give Carvalho the minutes he craves, it is understandable to see why his father’s post on Brentford’s official Instagram account should be taken seriously.
Leeds failed to bring in a new No.10 over the summer window and have since tended to use the Brenden Aaronson – back at Elland Road after a season’s loan in the Bundesliga with Union Berlin – in the role. The USA international has four goals and one assist so far this season from 17 Championship appearances.
But in recent days it has been suggested that the capture of a No.10 remains a position Leeds continue to consider strengthening in January and with interest reported in recent weeks of a possible move for Manchester City’s James McAtee.
In addition to Carvalho, Leeds also failed with a cheeky enquiry to Sheffield United for their playmaker Gustavo Hamer, with that approach clearly riling Blades boss Chris Wilder.
Speaking of their quest to land Carvalho, Kinnear told the Square Ball earlier this year: “Two of the other players, looking at the level we were looking at, [James] McAtee at Man City, there was talk he might be released all the way through the window and then Pep [Guardiola] decided to keep him.
“And then Carvalho, who, again, might have been able to go out on another loan.
“It might have been a Championship loan or a Premier League loan. We thought we were first in the queue if it was going to be in the Premier League and he ended up being sold for £27m to Brentford. To strengthen our team and to make it better, we have to shop at the highest level possible. And there is lots and lots of frustration.”
Latest Leeds transfer news: Swedish full-back eyed; Gelhardt to Rangers?
Meanwhile, Leeds United are reportedly ready to rival Liverpool in the chase for Swedish talent Daniel Svensson.
TEAMtalk revealed earlier this month that Liverpool have been tracking Svensson, who plays for FC Nordsjaelland in Denmark. However, they are just one of several admirers of the 22-year-old and it has now been claimed his entry into English football might actually come at Leeds instead.
Leeds’ interest in signing a new left-back comes among ongoing uncertainty around Junior Firpo, who is out of contract at the season’s end and will be eligible to sign a pre-contract agreement to join an overseas side of his choosing from January 1 – just 32 days from now.
Elsewhere, the Whites could look to offload one of their frustrated forwards in January with Joe Gelhardt looking likely to move on after a season of frustration at Elland Road.
The former Wigan man has made just two substitute appearances in the Championship this season, totalling just nine minutes, and now looks likely to be allowed to depart in the January window.
We understand Leeds will not stand in the player’s way and, with Rangers among those chasing his signature, a loan move until the end of the current campaign is a growing possibility.
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