Liverpool given green light to seal January transfer after contacting club
Liverpool have been told by the Fluminense president to revisit their interest in midfielder Andre Trindade ahead of the January transfer window.
The Reds pushed hard to sign midfielders in the summer transfer window and ended up landing four. Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch all arrived to bolster Jurgen Klopp’s options in the middle of the park following an exodus in the position.
Liverpool knew they were losing Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Naby Keita and James Milner, but were not bargaining on the departures of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho. As a result, they were busy towards the end of the window finding midfield targets.
That search led them to Brazil, where Andre was catching the eye for Fluminense. According to the Liverpool Echo, the Reds contacted the Rio de Janeiro club in August to ask about the 22-year-old’s availability.
Fluminense president Mario Bittencourt made it clear that Andre was not for sale at that time, but might be in the future. “Liverpool’s executive director [Billy Hogan] contacted me directly,” he told ESPN. “And I replied to him: ‘My friend, I don’t sell players now and I don’t deliver now’.
Klopp's dream Liverpool line up as last-gasp January transfers rejected
“[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’.”
He added: "Saying this first hand, we didn't receive a proposal for him, only queries for Andre. We chose not to sell him because we believed that we would reach the final stages of the Libertadores. It was a decision [due to] sporting criteria."
Fluminense's midfielder Andre Trindade is a target for Liverpool (MAURO PIMENTEL/AFP via Getty Images)HAVE YOUR SAY! Do Liverpool need another midfielder? Comment below.
Fluminense were keen to keep Andre due to their participation in the Copa Libertadores. The Tricolor have booked their place in the semi-finals and could be in the final on November 4.
Once the club have got through that tournament, they will look to cash in on Andre. Despite his youth, Andre has already made 151 appearances for Fluminense, contributing four goals and three assists.
They may have missed out on Andre, but Klopp has been delighted with the impact Szoboszlai has made since his £60million move from RB Leipzig. "He has pretty much all the attributes you want to see – and the last thing you would think when you see him playing is he is only 22, so there is a lot more to come when he settles in properly,” he told Sky Sports after the 3-1 win over Bournemouth last month.
"Obviously, he has no problem to adapt to everything in an instant, but there is still more to come and we are really pleased. We are really pleased, from the first day since he was here he is full of energy. [He is] in the middle of the team already and, yes, it's good news."
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