Liverpool have reportedly broadened their horizons in the search for a defensive midfielder as Fluminense midfielder André appears to be the latest name linked with a move to Anfield.
Having previously courted the likes of Sofyan Amrabat, Khephren Thuram and Aurélien Tchouaméni, The Reds are now looking for a genuine replacement for Fabinho after the 29-year-old joined Jordan Henderson in Saudi Arabia.
With the pursuit of Romeo Lavia taking longer than expected, various claims emerged suggesting Jurgen Klopp could turn to the Rio de Janeiro outfit once again to succeed the ‘lighthouse’ – a player who himself came through the same youth system.
‘ANDRE WILL BE WORTH THE WAIT’ – South American Football Expert on Liverpool Transfer Target!
We’ve spoken to Football Talent Scout – Jacek Kulig (Football Talent Scout) to get the lowdown on André, a player for whom he is a self-confessed admirer…
On the Brazilian’s ability, Jacek said: “He’s a player that I really love. A roaming playmaker, a position that I really like. Fluminense is my favourite team in Brazil. Their academy, all the players from this academy have some special treatment from me.
“He’s much more than a defensive midfielder. He’s very mobile. I was thinking of Liverpool players I could compare him to, I thought of Naby Keita and Curtis Jones. He loves to have the ball at his feet, he orchestrates the play not only with his passing but also with his ball carries.
“His progressive carries are really impressive, he’s combative, and his work-rate is really, really high. He’s a really impressive player.
Ready for this transfer: “I have my doubts of course. I’m not the biggest fan of South American players moving to the Premier League.
“Many of the top talents need a transition in a league like Portugal, the Eredivisie. I saw the links with Andre to Sporting in Portugal, if I was Andre I would move to Portugal before attacking a huge club like Liverpool.
“In the Premier League fans don’t like this period of adaptation and I think that could be a problem. The third problem is that Andre likes to be a leader in the side, at Liverpool he won’t be a leader – he will be one of many. So, I like him very much, but I think he needs another step.
On the ‘leader’ quote: “He always wants the ball. He’s very charismatic. The willingness to get the ball. He needs to be the leader or one of the leaders. He’s a top talent, I’m not 100% that he’s going to be a Liverpool-level player now. As I said, Sporting would be the perfect destination but I can understand why Liverpool want him.”
How would you compare him to Romeo Lavia: “I would say the midfield with Andre and Romeo Lavia would work very well. I love Lavia but he’s a very different player and I could imagine them playing together.”
On his Brazil future: “I can see him being a starter for Brazil, maybe not being the main star but I can certainly see him being a starter in the next two or three years.”
Similar players: “I would say, Frenkie De Jong. Similar player roles, roaming playmakers, and they love to have the ball at their feet. Andre is more combative, more work rate, stronger. He’s really strong, he doesn’t look it but he is. He really likes duels and he wins the fair share of them.”
Fluminense’s Andre ‘Wants To Sign’ For Liverpool!
Redmen Reacts
Unfortunately, Jacek’s pessimism surrounding players making a move straight from South America to the Premier League is well placed as this is a gigantic leap and albeit Andre has already been capped by Brazil, at 22 this would still represent an almighty step.
On a more positive note, clearly, the youth football expert has full faith in the dynamic midfielder to become a leading player at the highest level further down the line and given that it’s likely The Reds would save a sizeable chunk of money going direct to the source, this could still be a deal worth doing.
Now all that remains is for Liverpool to convince Fluminense to part with their prized asset mid-season with little chance of finding a suitable replacement…
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