Liverpool have spoken with the agents of Fluminense youngster Andre Trindade as they continue to search the market for midfield additions.
The Reds were assessing their options even before recent developments came to light. But with Jordan Henderson and Fabinho looking likely to move to Saudi Arabia, they may now need more than they initially thought.
And according to 90min, Andre is one of the players sounded out over a move. The 21-year-old, who recently made his Brazil international debut, is said to be available for around £25m.
Liverpool are by no means the only club interested, though. There’s said to be as many as seven teams speaking to Andre, including Spanish giants Barcelona and Atletico Madrid.
But despite the La Liga clubs sniffing around, as well as the likes of Tottenham and Arsenal, it’s claimed to actually be Fulham who are currently leading the race.
The Cottagers reportedly tried to sign Andre in January, but couldn’t get a deal over the line. Now, they’re back and are said to be ‘confident’ of luring the Brazilian to West London.
Liverpool make contact with Andre
Andre will perhaps be an unfamiliar name to a lot of Liverpool fans. But he could be a tidy piece of business nonetheless.
Only 21, he’s already played almost 150 games for Fluminense. He’s also a full Brazil international and has the look of a young Fabinho. They even come from the same academy.
Liverpool have been slow to dip into the South American market, often preferring to bring in fully-formed players for higher fees.
There is merit to that, no doubt. Given the experience they could be losing in Henderson and Fabinho, there’s also a strong argument that young players like Andre and Romeo Lavia won’t cut the mustard.
But with a relatively low fee, there’s also plenty of upside. If the Reds manage to keep hold of Thiago Alcantara, they do still have some experience in the midfield. World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister could hardly be called a youngster too.
In Curtis Jones and Dominik Szoboszlai they have two players of similar age to Andre, too. There are numbers there, so the Fluminense talent wouldn’t have to be a starter straight away.
Another strategy is to let him go to Fulham, and risk paying two or three times the price for him in a year or two. Given Liverpool’s track record, that might be the most likely course here.
