Liverpool are "tempted to sign" a highly-rated player they were linked with this summer once the January transfer window opens, according to an update from transfer insider Dean Jones.
Liverpool transfer updates
The Reds have built one of their most impressive squads in recent years, with strong options across all areas of the pitch as they look to seal Premier League glory this season.
While Liverpool's midfield has been altered significantly, with as many as four new faces coming in during the summer transfer window, there is a nagging feeling that they lack a proper defensive midfielder who can start most weeks.
Alexis Mac Allister is doing his best in the role but doesn't look entirely comfortable there, with the Argentine known more as a box-to-box No.8 during his Brighton days. Meanwhile, Wataru Endo doesn't look at the level required to be a key starter after his move from VfB Stuttgart.
It could be that Jurgen Klopp targets a signing in that position in the coming months, with several players linked in that position, most recently Ezequiel Fernandez, while there is also seemingly a plan to bring in a young attacker, with links to the likes of Victor Osimhen and Jamal Musiala.
Andre to Liverpool
Speaking to Give Me Sport, Jones talked up the idea of Andre to Liverpool happening in the January window, confirming those links from the summer are absolutely "genuine" and the move could happen in the winter window:
"They signed Wataru Endo, and I think that was a decent signing, but the feeling is that there is still one player missing."We still see Liverpool signings that came in during the summer not necessarily being used in their best sense. We have seen Alexis Mac Allister coming deep at times and I still don't think they've sussed out exactly how to make this midfield work.
"But Andre is definitely still one of the guys that they are tempted to sign. He has been looked at by various clubs, and this Brazilian market is clearly one that a lot of English sides are tapping into at the moment. This is a genuine link and a transfer that does have the potential to happen."
It does feel as though Andre looks like a feasible option in January, perhaps coming in as a squad player to begin with but becoming a regular over time. The 22-year-old has already become such an influential player for Fluminense at the heart of the midfield, and Andre's stats highlight that perfectly, with 158 appearances coming his way while still such a young player.
He possesses the natural defensive skills in the No.6 role that can be so hard to master, as Mac Allister is finding out at the moment, and he could prove to be a fantastic signing midway through the season, just giving Liverpool that extra bit of steel in the middle of the park.
At 22, Andre would be coming in as someone who could be a mainstay of the midfield for many years, and the hope is that he would enjoy a similar influence to that of compatriot Fabinho at Anfield over a significant period.
Klopp's men look so impressive everywhere else, with their plethora of brilliant attacking stars, and if they can plug the defensive midfield gap, it could turn them from challengers into champions in 2023/24.
