With just over a week to go before Liverpool kick off their Premier League season with a tough away trip to Stamford Bridge, the club are yet to replace Fabinho and Jordan Henderson. At least two bids for Roméo Lavia have been rejected, with Southampton manager Russell Martin insisting the 19-year-old will be involved in his side’s game against Sheffield Wednesday tonight.
Curtis Jones featured in a deeper role in the Reds’ friendly defeat to Bayern Munich, a position he excelled in for England in their victorious under-21 Euros campaign.
The latest player to be linked with a move to Anfield is Fluminense’s André. The 22-year-old has been tipped to leave the Brazilian side, but a possible stumbling block for the move is the fact that the Brazilian transfer window has closed, meaning that his club would not be able to replace him until next January.
On the latest episode of our Journo Insight show, we spoke to experienced LFC journalist Neil Jones for the lowdown on André.
‘ANDRE WILL BE WORTH THE WAIT’ – South American Football Expert on Liverpool Transfer Target!
Neil said:
“That’s true that Liverpool have made contact with him. A 22-year-old deep-lying midfielder, Brazilian international. Fee from a Brazilian club – you’d be talking less than £30million. There’s a lot to nod at.
“He’s a very combative player, really good bite about him. Got a good ceiling in terms of as a defensive midfielder, or an all-action central midfielder.
“The mood music, if you like, is that they are reluctant sellers, Fluminense. I think there are a lot of people with maybe a little bit of a side eye: ‘Hang on, how’s his name just emerged when Liverpool are trying to make this bid for Lavia?’
“Is there a little bit of a threat element going on? ‘Don’t reject this next bid, because we’ll go elsewhere.’ There are legitimate suspicions around that, but Liverpool have definitely been in contact with Fluminense about him. Just to see – if nothing else – what the state of play is with it.
“ESPN Brazil are reporting that they don’t want to sell him until they’re either out of or have won the Copa Libertadores. One to keep an eye on.
“If you were to say that the two of them [André and Lavia] were coming in… you’re talking £70-odd million for those two. I think you’d come away and think that Liverpool have had a good go at overhauling the midfield. If it was one or the other, you would still think that we’re probably one short.”
Fluminense’s Andre ‘Wants To Sign’ For Liverpool!
Redmen Reacts
A relative unknown in Europe, André – who was described to us as ‘very mobile’ by Jacek Kulig – is spoken of highly in Brazil and would cost less than the mooted figures for Premier League-based players such as João Palhinha. Moves from Brazil to the Premier League are relatively rare, but English clubs have had success in the past buying direct from the source. Arsenal signed Gilberto Silva from Atlético Mineiro, with the World Cup winner becoming a mainstay of their side and a key man in their ‘Invincibles’ campaign. South American football expert Tim Vickery told Sky Sports News that André possesses ‘…really honed skills that are useful for a Jürgen Klopp side.’ The 22-year-old is used to receiving the ball under pressure and covering a lot of ground. These are facets of the game that Fabinho struggled with last season after a major decline in form. The main issue would be prizing him away from Fluminense, who see him as a key player in their quest to win the Copa Libertadores.
TO HEAR MORE FROM NEIL ON LAVIA, PRE-SEASON AND LAVIA, CLICK HERE
