Liverpool are in contact with Fluminense over 22-year-old midfielder Andre Trindade
In the early hours of Friday, many Liverpool fans were able to hang on to events nearly 9,000 miles from Anfield.Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro could be the area of interest for Reds fans as Fluminense take on Paraguayan side Olimpia in the first leg of their Copa Libertadores quarter-finals, with the second leg to be played in the early hours of played this morning.
On 1 September, the transfer deadline day.A win for Fluminense will surely end any hopes of Liverpool signing midfielder Andre on a contract at the end of August, while an exit for the Brazilians could still reopen the way for talks between the two clubs as Jurgen Klopp looks set to join in a turbulent time-market it ends with a flowering.
Having added Wataru Endo to the deals for Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboslzai, midfield remains the area Liverpool should focus on as the transfer window enters its final week.
Andre has been identified as a target and the Reds are said to have 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 poised to take the next step in European football, but what unfolds over the next few days could be hugely instructive as to when and where that step will be made.
Seen as an integral part of manager Fernando Deniz’s flu squad, 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 as a result, the Tricolor is extremely against losing it already, with January generally seen as a more pleasant time.
Fluminense chairman Mario Bittencourt told Andre’s agent Carlos Leite at a dinner earlier this year that the club simply would not tolerate a sale before 2024, so great was their desire to bring in successfully ends the search for the Libertadores.”We have informed the player and player representatives that we would not be selling Andre during 2023,” Bittencourt told Globo earlier this year. “People should always remember and think that there is a life for the athlete.”It is clear that he has the desire, like everyone else, to seek financial independence and play outside Brazil.
However, we informed the athlete representatives that we would not even listen to suggestions. We don’t want to listen. And here I say thank you for my loyalty to the athlete and representatives who gave the club answers whenever asked.However, those comments receded before Liverpool opened up for dialogue and it was interesting to note that reports have recently emerged from Brazil claiming well-known ‘super agent’ Jorge Mendes has been tasked with assisting in the effort.
Europe for André.Mendes is someone who has worked regularly with Liverpool through his agency Gestifute in recent years, along with Diogo Jota, Darwin Nunez and former midfielder Fabinho. The Reds have a good, long-standing partnership with the Portuguese agency, which could still come into play should Andre’s interest grow in the coming days. Bringing Andre straight from the Brazilian top flight would mean breaking new ground for Klopp at Liverpool, as he has not been recruited for a first-team place by a league outside Europe during the German’s eight years in Merseyside.But with his best years ahead of him, Andre’s profile means he could become the long-term replacement for current midfield controller 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 keep Fluminense’s Libertadores dreams alive.
