Hull City are ahead of their Championship rivals in the race to sign Liverpool midfielder Fabio Carvalho, but Southampton have not given up, according to the Athletic.
Liverpool recalled the midfielder from his loan at RB Leipzig earlier this month after he struggled to get regular minutes in Germany.
The Reds want to loan him out again in the ongoing transfer window and several Championship sides are interested in signing him.
Hull are though the team in pole position and are now widely expected to land the attacking midfielder on a loan deal.
The Tigers have made a strong pitch to take the player to the MKM Stadium, with Liam Rosenior and Tyler Morton talking with Carvalho.
Carvalho is said to be enthusiastic about joining Hull and helping them to secure a playoff spot this season.
However, Southampton have not given up in the race and are still pushing to sign Carvalho.
It would be a surprise if Saints do manage to divert Carvalho to the south coast now, but they are refusing to wave the white flag.
Liverpool want Carvalho to play regular first-team football in the latter half of the season to aid his development.
