Liverpool target Andre Trindade has revealed that he turned down an ‘irrefutable’ offer from a top European club earlier this summer to stay at Fluminese.
The one-cap Brazil international was heavily linked with a move to Anfield, but a transfer never came to fruition, with Liverpool signing Wataru Endo, Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch to revitalize their engine room.
Speaking about his future in an interview ahead of Fluminese’s Copa Libertadores final against Argentinian side Boca Juniors, Andre admitted that he decided to snub a potential summer transfer because he had given his word to his manager that he’d stay at the club at least until December, which is when the Brazilian Serie A season ends.
He said (quotes via Liverpool Echo): “In this past window, I didn’t talk about it, the first time I’m going to talk in more depth will be now. It really was an irrefutable proposal from the club that plays in a big league. I think every player one day dreams of playing for a big club in Europe, in a big league. But I decided to keep my word because when the January window closed, Diniz [Fluminense manager] arrived and told me that he wanted me here until the end of the year. We didn’t know that a proposal of that amount would arrive and I told him that, regardless of what happened, I would be there until the end of the season.
“It ended up passing and arriving in the middle of the year, we were still in the round of 16 of the Copa Libertadores. It was a very difficult decision to make. I think if I had accepted this proposal, I don’t know if I would have felt 100% comfortable because I had already agreed with Diniz. He really values his word, his honesty and he always speaks to I know that when we do the right things, good things always happen. And in January he told me that without a doubt, if I stayed I would gamble and my value would increase.”
With Thiago Alcantara’s contract set to expire next summer, Liverpool are likely to dip into the transfer market in 2024 to replace the Spanish maestro. While Andre isn’t a like-for-like replacement for the ex-Bayern Munich midfielder, he’s certainly a long-term transfer target for Liverpool, who have scouted him for over 18 months now.
A report from the Liverpool Echo states that the Reds remain keen on the 22-year-old ahead of the January transfer window. With Fluminese more open to selling their star man after the conclusion of their season, Andre could well get his dream move as early as January.
