Why would Liverpool want Andre?

The focus for Liverpool in the summer transfer window in 2023 was always going to be the midfield, but it is set to look even more different to last season than any fan would have expected.

Having lost James Milner, Naby Keita, Fabio Carvalho, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and even Arthur Melo, a lot of depth had been stripped away. That was swiftly addressed with the arrivals of Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai but Jordan Henderson and Fabinho have now also departed for the Saudi Pro League.

This has left Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp very light on experience and bodies in the middle of the park and that is why so many midfielders are continually linked with the Reds. Romeo Lavia from Southampton appears to be a primary target, but the name of Andre, a 22-year-old Fluminense midfielder, has also gathered a lot of pace in recent days.

Here is all that you need to know about Andre ahead of his expected arrival on Merseyside in the near future.

One thing that is immediately clear about Andre is that he has endless energy and does not struggle with injuries. Despite only turning 22 years old in mid-July, he has played 145 times for Fluminense, his only club.

Andre is not the sort of player who is going to chip in with the attackers too much, as he only has three goals and three assists in those 145 games. That is not an issue though, given Liverpool’s current crop of midfielders is made up almost entirely of attack-minded players.

His primary role for Liverpool would be to break up opposition attacks and quickly move the ball up the pitch, two things he is good at. Andre has been averaging 2.1 tackles and 1.5 interceptions per 90 minutes, which is actually better than Fabinho’s 1.8 tackles and one interception last season in Liverpool’s midfield. Andre also ranks top for both passes per game (75.4) and pass success rate (93.7%) in the Brazilian top flight this season.

The one-cap Brazil international is a busy midfielder who can offer players like Mac Allister and Szoboszlai licence to get forward with an extra layer of steel behind them.

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Liverpool are not the only suitors interested in Andre’s ability to destroy and dictate. In mid-July, 90min revealed that Fulham were leading a chasing pack which included Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Arsenal, Tottenham and West Ham.

Fulham almost snagged Andre in January for a fee of £20m. Andre’s release clause is supposedly £34m but any agreement will be closer to £25m after six more impressive months in Fluminense’s midfield.

However, there is a chance that the Brazilian side will accept a lower bid if they can keep Andre until January. Given Liverpool’s need for midfielders of this ilk, that is unlikely to be an option.

ESPN have claimed that Fluminense will be much more open to a summer sale if they are knocked out of the Copa Libertadores, the South American equivalent of the Champions League. The second leg of their round of 16 tie against Argentinos Juniors is on 8 August, with the contest delicately poised after a 1-1 in Buenos Aires. Liverpool fans could find themselves actively rooting against Andre to begin with.

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