Club chief confirms defender was extremely close to joining Liverpool

David Carmo was extremely close to joining Liverpool in January, Braga president Antonio Salvador has revealed.

Liverpool were on the hunt for new defenders in the winter transfer window. They eventually opted for Ozan Kabak and Ben Davies, but considered a number of options. Among them was Carmo, who had been linked with Manchester United before their rivals showed an interest.

It was revealed shortly after the deadline that Carmo’s current club Braga had been forced into emergency meetings to work out the player’s future after Liverpool’s bid.

Now, the Portuguese club have confirmed just how close Carmo was to joining Liverpool.

“We have kept it as long as possible, but every year we have to sell,” Salvador told Marca. “In January, for example, David Carmo had a foot and a half at Liverpool, but we ended up retaining him.


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“He is a player who, despite being injured at the moment, continues to have several suitors, even in Spain…

“To have a balanced budget, we have to receive between €12.5m and €15m a year in transfers.

“This is an established point if we are to continue at the same level that we have been at for the last decade. This year we will have to do more to resist the damage caused by the pandemic.”

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Carmo is currently out with a fractured ankle. Prior to that injury, he made 12 appearances in the Portuguese top flight this season, as well as five in the Europa League.

Standing at 1.94m tall, he would have been a commanding addition to Liverpool’s backline. At the age of 21, he would have been a long-term investment as well.

But those plans were shelved in favour of other targets and it remains to be seen if the Reds will ever revive their interest.

Carmo remains under contract with Braga until 2025.

Deadline set for Kabak move

Ozan Kabak Liverpool March 2021 TEAMtalk

The main man Liverpool turned to instead of Carmo was Kabak, who joined on loan from Schalke.

Liverpool have an option to buy the Turkey international, who has featured frequently since his arrival. However, they may not wish to pay the full price.

Hence, there are many decisions still to be made and a recent report from Fussball Transfers shed light on Liverpool’s approach.

It was claimed that they are willing to sign Kabak permanently but have been set a deadline of the end of May by which to decide.

Should they change their minds, they would have to look at other options, such as Carmo or Ibrahima Konate. The latter has become a major target.

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