Brentford confirms the £27.5 million signing of Liverpool star Fabio Carvalho, brushing off opposition from Leicester and Southampton.

Brentford have finalized the £27.5 million signing of Fabio Carvalho from Liverpool, after competing with other Premier League clubs for the midfielder.

The 21-year-old has received a lot of attention this summer, with both newly promoted Leicester and Southampton making official offers – but he ultimately chose to join the Bees.

Brentford will pay a sum of up to £27.5 million, but Liverpool have kept a 17.5% sell-on clause in case the Portugal-born star moves on again in the future.

Carvalho was anticipated to become a midfield star under former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, but he struggled to meet the demands of playing for the club’s first team and was instead entertained by loan spells.

He joined Liverpool for £5 million from Fulham two years ago and spent last season on loan at RB Leipzig and Hull City, with his time at the Championship side attracting the attention of other clubs.

The playmaker wanted to stay at Anfield at first, while new manager Arne Slot examined his options after only taking over in the summer and having yet to make any additions.

However, debates about his optimum position eventually led him to depart Anfield, with Brentford manager Thomas Frank eager to lure him to London.

Frank praised the youngster’s arrival at Brentford ahead of the start of the new Premier League season, saying: “Fabio is a player with many qualities.” He can play any of the front three or four positions in a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 formation. His best position is either as a number ten or coming in from the left.

‘Offensively, he has excellent ball skills: he can get past opponents, slide a pass, create opportunities, and finish them.

‘He’s the type of player we don’t have many of in the group, so he’ll give us that extra edge. His ability and approach for working hard under duress are also excellent.

‘That is in addition to him ticking all of the cultural boxes and being the correct character. So we’re thrilled to have him come in and push the squad forward,’ he continued.

Carvalho might make his debut for his new club on Sunday, when Brentford travel to Crystal Palace for their first game of the season, with him.