Rio de JaneiroAndre (Brazil) could well be the area of interest for Reds fans if Fluminense take on Paraguayan club Olimpia in the second leg of the Copa Libertadores quarter-finals and the aggregate points are 0-0.
Fluminense’s victory will certainly dash Liverpool’s hopes of a deal for midfielder Andre at the end of August, while a departure from the Brazilian could pave the way for further negotiations between the two clubs as Jurgen Klopp seeks to end to a tumultuous transferwindow of a century.
With Wataru Endo added to deals for Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboslzai, the midfield remains the area that Liverpool’s efforts will focus on as the transfer window approaches roughly last week.
Andre has been identified as a target as the Reds reportedly opened lines of communication with Fluminense in early August. The 22-year-old’s form has been impressive enough to see him make his way onto the international scene this calendar year.
Andre was part of the Brazil national team beaten 4-2 by Senegal in June.
Judging by some of the numbers, he seems ready to take the next step in European football, but what happens over the next few days could be extremely instructive as to when and where this step will be taken.
Seen as an integral part of manager Fernando Deniz’s flu team, the Brazilian club are extremely reluctant to lose their international midfielder while they still have a chance of winning the Libertadores, the South American equivalent of the Champions League.
Such is Diniz’s confidence in Andre that the coach, who is also the current Brazil national team coach, has called up the midfielder for the Selecao’s upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Bolivia and Peru next month.
Along with Palmeiras striker Endrick, who agreed to join Real Madrid in the summer of 2024 when he turns 18, Andre is considered the most valuable player in Brazilian football. And for that reason,
the Habs are already extremely reluctant to lose him, as January is generally seen as a more comfortable time.
Fluminense president Mario Bittencourt told Andre’s agent Carlos Leite at a dinner earlier this year that the club would simply not agree to a sale until 2024 because the desire to make of his quest for the Libertadores a success was simply not an option.
“We have informed the player and his representatives that we will not be selling André in 2023,” Bittencourt reportedly told Globo earlier this year. “People always have to remember and remember that there is the life of the athlete.”
“Obviously, like everyone else, he wants to achieve financial independence and play outside of Brazil.” However, we told the athlete reps that we wouldn’t even hear any proposals. We don’t want to listen. And here I thank my loyalty to the athlete and representatives who provided the club’s answers whenever they were sought.
However, these comments predate Liverpool’s opening dialogue and it was interesting to note that reports recently surfaced from Brazil that famed ‘super agent’ Jorge Mendes had been set to be involved in trying to pave the way for a lucrative transfer in Europe. for André.
Mendes is someone who has worked regularly with Liverpool over the last few years through his agency Gestifute, the likes of Diogo Jota, Darwin Nunez and former midfielder Fabinho. The Reds have a long-standing and healthy partnership with the Portuguese organisation, which could come into play should Andre’s interest pick up in the coming days.
Bringing Andre straight from the Brazilian top flight would mark a new path for Klopp at Liverpool, having failed to recruit for a first-team place from competition outside Europe during the German’s eight years at Merseyside.
But with his best years ahead of him, Andre’s profile means he could become a long-term replacement for current midfielder Thiago Alcantara, who is now in the final year of his Anfield contract.
But before that the Reds will have to make a decisive move and it remains to be seen whether that will happen and keep Fluminense’s Libertadores dreams alive.
