On Tuesday, it was reported that Liverpool had seen an offer worth around £25 million for Brazilian midfielder Andre rejected.
The package, which would have comfortably broken Fluminense’s transfer record, was dismissed before it even came to the stage of a formal bid from Anfield.
It had been suggested, then, that the Reds would need to wait until January before reviving their interest in the 22-year-old.
That would come at the end of the season in Brazil, with Fluminense eager to retain Andre as they push to win the Copa Libertadores.
However, ESPN Brasil report that Liverpool “will not return” for the No. 7 in the winter transfer window and will instead “go in search of a new name to sign.”
Whether this is an attempt to test Fluminense’s resolve or not remains to be seen, though it should be noted that Andre has a release clause in his contract worth €40 million.
That means that a bid of £34 million would oblige Fluminense to permit their player to open talks with Liverpool over an immediate move.
According to Rio de Janeiro newspaper Lance!, though, claims of personal terms already being agreed with Andre are wide of the mark.
This would suggest that there is no guarantee that Andre would join Liverpool at this point in the season, with the Copa Libertadores effectively the South American equivalent of the Champions League.
Fluminense are into the quarter-finals of the competition, which they have never won, with a two-legged clash with Paraguayan side Club Olimpia up next.
To lift the trophy with his boyhood club would be a fitting finale for Andre, with Lance! explaining that there is an “expectation” he would then be sold in January for a lower fee.
That makes the situation with Liverpool an interesting one, as it would, in a way, make sense for the club to hold out until mid-season.
While integrating Andre within the squad at this point would have its advantages, it is unlikely that he would arrive as a first-choice starter.
Not a specialist defensive midfielder, the Brazil international is viewed as closer to Thiago, with a more combative edge, and therefore Wataru Endo is the more likely option as No. 6.
Fluminense could, of course, still be knocked out of the Copa Libertadores before the English transfer deadline, with their second leg against Olimpia kicking off at 1.30am UK time and the window closing at 11pm.
