Liverpool now 'out of race' for major January transfer target as Premier League rivals take surprise lead

In a surprise turn of events, Liverpool have fallen away from their priority January transfer target André Trindade. The Reds first registered their interest in the midfielder during the summer as they prioritised an engine room shake-up, but now it seems there's a complete U-turn on their pursuit.

According to the Standard, Premier League rivals Fulham have now 'moved ahead' of both Liverpool and Manchester United in the race for André's signature in the new year. A number of clubs have been monitoring his situation since the summer, but Fluminense made it clear that they would not entertain offers for the 22-year-old until after the Copa Libertadores final.

Sure enough, the Brazilian outfit went on to lift the famous trophy for the first time, after beating six-time winners Boca Juniors. And true to their word, Fluminense have now opened themselves up to letting André leave and will reportedly accept £30 million for him.

Jurgen Klopp and co had seemed determined to bring in a new No.6, as Wataru Endō has struggled to make the desired impact so far and André became the top target. However, despite Liverpool leading the running for some time now, the report claims the Reds are now 'out of the race.'

Instead, the Merseyside outfit are focusing on defensive targets for the January window as they hope to continue their push at the top of the Premier League table. As it stands, Liverpool are just one point behind leaders Manchester City and the two heavyweights will lock horns this weekend in a battle for a huge three points.

André is said to be seeking a move to the Premier League amid the heavy interest over recent months but it now looks very unlikely Anfield will be the destination. Instead, Fulham are in the front seat and manager Marco Silva is 'expected to be heavily backed' on the transfer market.