President confirms contact with Liverpool regarding Andre – suggests January transfer

Liverpool made an informal approach to Fluminense midfielder Andre this summer, the club president confirmed, but were told to wait.

As part of Jürgen Klopp’s summer midfield rebuild, Brazilian all-rounder Andre has proved a compelling target.

The links began during tough negotiations with Southampton over Romeo Lavia, with the Fluminense player touted as an alternative, and calls were subsequently made for a £25 million bid.

But approaches for Andre were rebuffed as the 22-year-old and his club both decided to push for silverware in Serie A and the Copa Libertadores.

Any chance of a late match for the midfielder on deadline day last week was eliminated when Fluminense defeated Olimpia to reach the semi-finals of the South American equivalent of the Champions League.

The Fluminense chairman detailed his brief talks with Liverpool chief executive Billy Hogan and revealed he was open to transfer negotiations in January.

Billy Hogan

“Liverpool’s managing director contacted me directly.
And I said to him: ‘My friend, I am not selling players at the moment and I am not delivering at the moment,'” Mario Bittencourt told ESPN via O Globo.

“[I told him], ‘If you want to buy it now to record it in January, we can start talking, or if you want to wait until December, we’ll talk in December.'”

Bittencourt’s comments are certainly in line with reports in England and Brazil about Liverpool’s pursuit of Andre and confirm the club’s interest.

It remains to be seen whether the Reds will return for the Brazil international before the January transfer window as there are conflicting reports over their plans.

But it arguably made more sense to sign Andre at the end of the Fluminense season than in the summer, as he finds himself in the middle of a busy season.

After beating Fortaleza 1-0 on Sunday, Andre has made 43 appearances this season, spending 3,703 minutes on the pitch with a chance to add 19 more matches.

Last season, Mohamed Salah played the most games for Liverpool with 51 and 4,301 minutes.

So if Andre’s transfer is sealed in January, perhaps not much can be expected from the player ahead of a lengthy layoff and his first pre-season – something Klopp would consider before approving a deal.

More news…….

Despite Manchester United’s interest, the “exceptional” player had his heart set on moving to Liverpool this summer.

Ryan Gravenberch was interested in playing for Manchester United during the transfer window, but he has always had his heart set on joining Liverpool this summer.

According to a story from The Athletic, Bayern Munich only modified its position on selling the Dutchman 72 hours prior to the deadline.

The last acquisition for Liverpool during the window was Ryan Gravenberch.
After struggling at Bayern, the 21-year-old transferred in a £34 million deal.

He was having a lot of success in spite of his difficulties.
Gravenberch was obviously a target for Liverpool. But in their own search for a central midfielder, Manchester United also had their eyes on him.

Despite Manchester United’s interest, Gravenberch only had eyes for Liverpool.

Gravenberch reportedly only had eyes for Liverpool, according to The Athletic.
Before the deadline, Sofyan Amrabat would eventually be with Erik ten Hag.

According to The Athletic, some Liverpool employees have compared Gravenberch and Gini Wijnaldum.
Prior to the switch, he had lengthy conversations with Cody Gakpo and Virgil van Dijk.

And it appears that the youngster was very interested in the opportunity to work with Jurgen Klopp. Gravenberch is a player with “exceptional talent,” according to Klopp.

Liverpool should be commended greatly for how they entered the window.
They lost so many midfielders, who were crucial to the team before.

And the new players appear to have a lot of potential.
Dominik Szoboszlai is off to an excellent start in Merseyside.
In the Premier League, Alexis Mac Allister has already demonstrated his abilities.

Wataru Endo could end up being an undervalued acquisition. Gravenberch is incredibly talented, too.
Therefore, there is already a fascinating group in the middle of the park for Liverpool.

Given how little Gravenberch did play for Bayern, it might take some time.
However, it seems that both Liverpool and the player honestly believe that the transfer is the best possible outcome for everyone involved.