Despite ongoing links with Piero Hincapie, it’s understood that Liverpool won’t be pursuing the Bayer Leverkusen defender for a January transfer, with the Ecuadorian set to cost a minimum of €50m (£43.2m).
Football Insider have now explained the reason for the Reds’ apparent reluctance to pursue the 21-year-old.
It’s believed that the priority in the winter transfer window is to try again for Andre Trindade, the Fluminense midfielder for whom a €30m (£25.9m) summer offer was rejected, with another bid expected in January in preference to a move for Hincapie.
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Aside from Liverpool’s previous offer falling short of his €40m (£35m) buyout clause (GOAL), the main reason for Fluminense refusing to entertain selling the player was their ongoing involvement in the Copa Libertadores.
They’ll feel their stance has been justified as Andre has since helped them to reach the final of that competition, in which they’ll face Boca Juniors on 4 November.
The 22-year-old has stood out for his composure on the ball, achieving a remarkable passing success rate of 93.8% over the past 12 months, which places him among the top 1% of midfielders outside of European leagues (FBref).
The Brazilian would give Liverpool another natural defensive midfield option and could potentially free up Alexis Mac Allister to play further forward, with the 2022 World Cup winner currently operating in the number 6 role, with his creative influence duly curbed.
While the Reds definitely shouldn’t shut the door on strengthening their defence in January, especially given the injury concerns in that area of the pitch already this season, we can understand why they’re still determined to get Andre through the door. Let’s see what happens over the coming weeks.
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