Liverpool have been long linked with a move for Brazilian midfielder Andre Trindade and with the 22-year-old picking up the Copa Libertadores with Fluminense last weekend it’s expected he will seek a move away from the club in the summer.
Jurgen Klopp’s side were reportedly interested in a move for him in the summer but our German tactician instead opted to sign Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister, Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch.
Despite our four new midfielders, there remains concerns about our need for a top quality holding midfielder and this means Andre is still being linked with a move to Anfield.
Brazilian journalist Emmanuel Luiz has claimed the South American dynamo ‘wants Liverpool’ despite interest also coming from fellow Premier League outfit Fulham.
“So I’m going to be loud and clear for you guys,” Luiz told Redmen TV (via The Boot Room). “We already talked about £40m being the release clause. Fulham and Liverpool were in the race, Andre really wanted Liverpool in the middle of the year, it remains really clear, Andre wants Liverpool, but the most important thing right now, Andre wants Liverpool, but Fulham, and I confirmed this, I spoke to some guys at the club and they said that Andre will play for the club that makes the best offer to Fluminense.
“He wants Liverpool, and Liverpool wants to pay like £30m, but what Fulham did, they said to Fluminense, he has a £40m release clause, what we want to do as Fulham is to pay the release clause and have some sort of add-on clause, Andre wants Liverpool, but what I think will happen is that if Liverpool come with £35m for him and a 20% clause, they will sell to Liverpool.”
We’re pretty well stocked in the engine room at the moment but since arriving from Brighton in the summer Mac Allister has been forced to play out of position.
The Argentine international, who was pivotal to his nation’s success at the World Cup last year, is a player that likes to influence the game in an attacking sense.
Deploying him just in front of our midfield therefore limits him and we’re therefore yet to see the best of him.
Endo, who is a traditional defensive midfielder, has impressed when called upon by Klopp this term but at the age of 30 he’s not a long-term option for the club.
Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that there are other top clubs in Europe keeping an eye on Andre so if we want to secure his services we need to be quick.