Southampton offered Fabio Carvalho 'perfect project' before he snubbed them | OneFootball

Southampton were pushing to sign young midfielder Fabio Carvalho on loan from Liverpool, but he's now officially moved to fellow Championship side Hull City. Journalist Dean Jones has spoken to GIVEMESPORT about how the Saints were able to offer him the perfect project, but will be disappointed to have missed out.

Russell Martin's side are closely trailing behind Leicester City and Ipswich Town in the Championship as they fight for a top-two finish, which will guarantee promotion to England's top flight. In their pursuit of an immediate return to the Premier League, the Saints could be considering bringing in reinforcements during the January transfer window.

It's been easy to attain the right players in the winter, with selling clubs unwilling to sanction departures for some of their key stars. Martin and his recruitment team had identified Carvalho as someone who would benefit the Southampton squad, but they failed to get a deal over the line.

Southampton were keen on Carvalho

Carvalho started the campaign on loan with German side RB Leipzig, but the Portuguese youth international struggled to make a major impact in the Bundesliga. As a result, Liverpool opted to terminate his temporary move early while searching for another club for Carvalho to spend the remainder of the season with.

It's not quite worked out for Carvalho at Liverpool so far, but at the age of 21, the former Fulham midfielder still has plenty of room to grow and develop. A more suitable loan spell will be hugely beneficial, and Hull City have officially announced that Carvalho will spend the remainder of the term with the Championship outfit. However, Hull certainly weren't the only club who were hoping to convince the youngster to sign on the dotted line.

As per MailOnline, Southampton were one of the sides who were interested in securing the signature of Carvalho, with Leicester also keen on the midfielder. David Ornstein recently reported that the 21-year-old had the choice to move to both Hull and Southampton, but the former ultimately won the race. The Athletic reporter claims that talks with Tyler Morton, who is also on loan from Liverpool, helped convince Carvalho to join the Tigers.

Journalist Jones previously told GIVEMESPORT that Carvalho would 'rip it up' at the Saints and he would have given them an excellent chance of gaining promotion back to the Premier League. However, Martin and his recruitment team will be forced to go back to the drawing board.

Dean Jones - Southampton offered 'the perfect project'

Jones has suggested that Southampton offered Carvalho the perfect project with the ideal playing style to help him get back to his best, and the Saints will be disappointed to have lost the race to secure his signature. The journalist adds that he's surprised the former Fulham man opted to join Hull over Southampton. Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Jones said...

Southampton eyeing Carvalho alternative

According to talkSPORT reporter Alex Crook, Southampton are one of the sides who are showing an interest in signing Bournemouth winger David Brooks on loan for the remainder of the season. Although a slightly different profile to Carvalho, he could be a smart addition to give Martin another option in attack.

Journalist Nick Mashiter, in a more recent report, has claimed that Southampton are now pushing to finalise a temporary deal for Brooks. The Welsh international has struggled for game time with the Cherries this season after their impressive season, so a loan move away from the Vitality Stadium could be what he needs to reignite his career.