Liverpool “have not forgotten” their interest in Fluminense midfielder Andre, according to reports, with there a chance they move in January.
The Reds signed three midfielders in summer, in Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Wataru Endo, but recent weeks suggest they should have signed another.
Jurgen Klopp‘s reluctance to field Endo in high-profile games has led to Mac Allister remaining as the No. 6, with question marks over whether he suits the role.
That may well be due to plans to return for Andre, the 22-year-old Brazil international who was subject of an enquiry from Anfield during the transfer window.
Fluminense rejected any advance as they bid for Copa Libertadores glory, which has paid off as they are now into the final, where they will play Boca Juniors on November 4.
But according to the Liverpool Echo‘s Ian Doyle, the Reds “have not forgotten” about Andre, and “haven’t parked their interest.”
Doyle does not confirm that a pursuit will be restarted in January, but explains that the club would not be “overly worried the chance has now gone.”
Andre is almost certain to depart Fluminense at the end of their campaign, which effectively runs from January to December in Brazil.
The club’s president, Mario Bittencourt, has all but confirmed that would be the case in discussing Liverpool’s approach back in September.
“Liverpool’s executive director contacted me directly. And I replied to him: ‘My friend, I don’t sell players now and I don’t deliver now’,” Bittencourt told ESPN.
“[I told him]: ‘If you want to buy him now to take him in January, we can start talking, or if you want to wait until December, we’ll talk in December’.”
Fluminense’s season does not end with the Copa Libertadores final, with another 12 fixtures also left to play in Serie A, by which point Andre could have made over 60 appearances in 2023.
That would suggest that, if Liverpool were to seal a transfer for January, the midfielder would require time to rest and recover before any adjustment begins on the pitch.
It could be a long-term project, then, but the enquiry into his availability and a gap for him in the squad hints that this may be the plan.
