Liverpool have made contact with Fluminense regarding the possible transfer of midfielder Andre as Reds manager Jurgen Klopp continues to reassemble his squad.
What’s the latest on Andre to Liverpool?
That’s according to Sky Sports, who claim that Liverpool are in negotiation with the Brazilian Serie A outfit after seeing a second offer for Southampton’s Romeo Lavia rejected.
Andre is valued at a ballpark £20m by his side, and whilst Fluminense are reluctant to grant a departure for one of their most coveted assets midway through the season – the Brazilian Serie A runs from April to December – the player is enticed by the prospect of moving to Anfield.
The Reds have already bolstered the midfield with deals for Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai this summer, but the departures of Fabinho and Jordan Henderson have left a hold needing to be filled on the defensive side of the centre.
How good is Andre?
With the aforementioned Lavia’s arrival signing at Anfield very much in the balance, Liverpool appear to be making contingency plans in the event that the £50m-rated Belgian doesn’t wind up on Merseyside.
There is no simple silver bullet to solve the problems that plagued Klopp’s squad last season, but the transfer business conducted thus far looks promising, albeit with work still to be done, with the season-opener against Chelsea just over one week away.
And therein lies the problem; Fabinho’s sale leaves little protection in the defensive midfield, and the Reds will need to act swiftly to sign a new No. 6 and integrate them ahead of the relentless pace of the campaign.
So if Liverpool fail to make progress in the Lavia deal, pouncing upon the 22-year-old “leader” – as he has been hailed by talent scout Jacek Kulig – might be an auspicious move.
Andre is a composed and calculated head in possession and a fiery bundle of energy when looking to regain the ball, with FBref ranking him among the top 1% of midfielders across Men’s Next Eight divisions and the top 6% for successful take-ons per 90.
And given his performances in his homeland this year, recording an average Sofascore rating of 7.09 across 14 matches, completing 94% of his passes, making 0.9 key passes, 2.1 tackles and 1.5 interceptions per game, he looks like the missing ingredient from this Liverpool team and one who could excel in English football.
It’s important to note that Andre brings a very different approach than Lavia to the table, with the Fluminense star described as a “controller” by Sky Sports’ Melissa Reddy, whereas Southampton’s precocious starlet is dubbed a “progressive destroyer”.
What this effectively means is that Andre will bring composure in possession and astute awareness in distribution, while Lavia will recycle play and negate the opposing advances with his defensive application – the 19-year-old ranks among the top 4% of midfielders across Europe’s top five leagues for blocks per 90, whereas only among the top 22% for pass completion.
Liverpool must now assess their options and devise the best plan forward, and while Andre might differ from his Belgian confrere, he would undoubtedly bring his qualities to Merseyside and stamp his style on Klopp’s team.
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