Liverpool's pursuit of Romeo Lavia is dragging on; the Anfield side's trademark expeditious transfer style has not been in play for the saga surrounding the Southampton prodigy, and as such, manager Jurgen Klopp is looking at alternatives, namely Fluminense's Andre.
Is Andre signing for Liverpool?
According to Sky Sports' Melissa Reddy, Liverpool are in discussions with the 22-year-old midfielder, though a compromise is needed for the Reds' chase of Lavia to enter the final stage.
Andre would offer a different option for Liverpool, stylistically, and given that he could be signed for just €25m (£21m), sporting director Jorg Schmadtke would earn praise for completing another astute deal if the club acts swiftly.
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"Dialogue open between Southampton and Liverpool over Romeo Lavia. He wants the move but compromise still needed over the fee. LFC working on other options. They are in talks with Fluminense for Andre. Clear the club are looking at two profiles: controller, progressive destroyer," she tweeted.
The snag in discussions lies in Fluminense's reluctance to let him depart before the conclusion of the Brazilian Serie A season in December, though if they fail to qualify for the next round of the Copa Libertadores, negotiations could run without seam.
How good is Andre?
Where Lavia, aged 19, occupies the defensive midfield in a "progressive destroyer" role, breaking up the play and inhibiting opposing attacks, Andre is more aptly named as a "controller" – as claimed by Reddy – due to his crisp passing, tenacity and energy; a conduit to channel play through the thirds.
He is yet to ply his trade outside his homeland but has made 145 appearances for Fluminense since ascending from the youth academy, clinching three goals and assists apiece.
Quite feasibly, Liverpool could find room in their squad for both rising stars, especially given the polarity in style as holding midfielders, and if Klopp does further discussions for Andre the Reds would boast a midfielder with assured passing, robustness and precision in the tackle – he has completed 94% of his passes in Serie A this term, forging 2.1 tackles and 1.5 interceptions per match and succeeding in 63% of his ground duels, as per Sofascore.
To underscore his aptitude in directness and ball-playing, Andre ranks among the top 1% of midfielders across Men's next Eight divisions for pass completion, the top 3% for passes attempted and the top 7% for successful take-ons per 90, as per FBref.
As is clear, he thrives in his channelling of the game's flow, still very much talented with his defensive skill set, but allowing his technicality to do the talking.
Assuming Liverpool complete moves for both Andre and Lavia, the latter could be moulded as the more like-for-like Fabinho replacement, and Klopp could nurture the Brazilian into Thiago Alcantara's role in the team, with the distinguished Spaniard's contract on Merseyside entering the final year.
Thiago joined Liverpool from Bayern Munich for around £20m in 2020 and has been hailed as "staggering" by Michael Owen for his natural talent and technique, though he has missed 66 matches across all competitions over the three campaigns he has been on English shores.
Given that the rather injury-prone £200k-per-week maestro will be 33-years-old when the forthcoming term concludes, perhaps his contract will not be renewed, though with the introduction of Andre Liverpool will have an exciting heir who can actually absorb the fruits of his senior peer's labours over the next year.
Thiago ranks among the top 3% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues for passes attempted, the top 4% for progressive passes, the top 11% for interceptions and the top 4% for tackles per 90, and through these metrics, the blueprint for success is discernible and something that Andre must use as a framework as he indefatigably chases a prominent role in Klopp's Liverpool side.
Whether this happens remains within the grasp of the Anfield contingency, and while the next several days will see the roiling waters calm as they wait for the outcome of Fluminense's Copa Libertadores, Liverpool will be waiting to besiege the Brazilian side and secure their gem.
