Fulham manager Marco Silva says that winger Fabio Carvalho should sign a new contract to extend his stay at Craven Cottage beyond this season.

After emerging onto the first-team scene in the latter stages of last season, there has been plenty of speculation around Carvalho's future this summer.

It was recently reported that Carvalho, who has just a year remaining on his current Fulham contract, has turned down the offer of a new deal with the club, with West Ham, Norwich, Leeds and Porto all credited with an interest in the 18-year-old.

Now however, it seems as though Silva believes that the best deal for Carvalho, would be to sign a new contract with the Cottagers.

Discussing the situation surrounding the teenager, Silva was quoted by West London Sport as saying: “I think it’s important for us that he signs, and to be honest with you, it’s important for him.

“He came from the academy and Fabio is performing well. He is in the team. But I need him to concentrate on his football.”

To date, Carvalho has made seven first-team appearances in all competitions for Fulham, scoring once in their 3-1 defeat at Southampton towards the end of last season.

The Verdict

You can certainly understand why Silva would want Carvalho to stay at Fulham from a footballing perspective.

Carvalho is a hugely promising young player, who is already making an impact at Craven Cottage, so he could be an extremely useful asset for Fulham for years to come, if they are able to retain his services.

Indeed, it could also be argued that were Carvalho to make the move to one of those other sides, it could be harder for the teenager to get regular first-team football at top-flight level.

As a result, it could make sense for the attacker to sign a new contract with Fulham, and it would be a coup for the club if they could get him to do that.