Liverpool's Fabio Carvalho is a wanted man this summer, both by his club and another.
If you claimed that no one has looked better than Fabio Carvalho in pre-season for Liverpool, you would not have many disagreeing with you. The young forward has impressed in three straight starts under Arne Slot, and fans are already calling him the regen of Philippe Coutinho out of the left wing.
However, interest elsewhere in the Premier League will test Liverpool on how much they value Fabio.
Fabio Carvalho's worth with Liverpool will be tested as club rejects Saints bid
As broken exclusively by David Ornstein of The Athletic, Liverpool recently rejected a £15M bid from Southampton, which included add-ons. The Saints' interest predates this summer, as they tried to bring in Carvalho on loan in January for their promotion push out of the Championship, but ultimately, he joined Hull City.
Key in Ornstein's reporting is that it is believed Liverpool are making Carvalho's future very clear at the club: either he stays or is gone permanently, and there will be no more loans. Liverpool's rejection of the bid suggests that the Reds expect a much bigger offer for the 21-year-old winger, who is hoping to be a part of Slot's plans going forward this season.
How much does Liverpool really value Carvalho, though? Every player has their price, and Carvalho reportedly wants to be a regular starter for whatever club he plays for this upcoming season. Will that happen at Liverpool? It feels somewhat unlikely as Luis Diaz, for the time being, is expected to be the club's starting left-winger, with Cody Gakpo and Diogo Jota also both capable of starting on the left flank.
Slot introducing an attacking midfield position to the Liverpool formation could give Carvalho another window into the club's starting XI, but even there, that position will be coveted by Dominik Szoboszlai and Harvey Elliott.
Kamaldeen Sulemana and Samuel Edozie are both the top left-wing options for Southampton who would need to guarantee Fabio playing time over those two players in order for the player to sanction the move.
Southampton boss was asked via Sky Sports about Fabio Carvalho and the Saints' manager said he was "a player I like and admire". Sky also believe that Southampton could make a second bid for Fabio Carvalho.