‘In January we start talking’ - Liverpool handed major transfer boost as they look to fill Fabinho void

Liverpool are currently in the middle of a huge transition under Jurgen Klopp as the club adapts to the losses of big name midfielders such as Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, James Milner and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Those outgoings have been replaced by the likes of Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch and Waturo Endo.This transition has shown signs of promise in the opening weeks of the season and Liverpool recorded victories in five of their opening six matches.

But one issue has become apparent and that is the lack of a defensive midfielder and the absence of Fabinho appeared more apparent than ever during the 2-2 draw with Brighton as Mac Allister struggled in an unusually deep role which was far different from the one he played at his former club.

Many pundits such as Alan Shearer and Robbie Savage have expressed criticism at Liverpool’s lack of defensive protection, while heaping praise on the club’s attacking options and it appears to be something that Klopp will look to rectify in the coming months.

Even during the summer he showed signs of action but moves for both Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia were hijacked by Premier League rivals Chelsea.

Another name which was heavily mentioned in the summer was Fluminense prospect Andre. The defensive midfielder is viewed as a rising star in world football and he has been a first team regular for the Rio de Janeiro based club for four years.

Andre earned his first Brazil cap earlier this year and is expected to make more in years to come.

The midfielder has been on Liverpool’s radar for a number of months and The Echo even claims that talks took place with the Reds and Fluminese during the summer transfer window.

However, the Merseyside giants were forced to retreat from their move to sign the player in the summer and switched their attention towards Endo as Fluminese were focused on their pursuit of Copa Libertadores glory.

Subsequent events have proven it a wise move for the Brazilian outfit, with Fluminense now preparing for a final against Boca Juniors early next month as they seek a first triumph in the competition’s 63-year history.

Andre has been influential in that run to the final and has featured in 11 of the 12 matches. He also played a key part in the league season which runs from April to December.

However, the winter window represents a moment of opportunity for Liverpool to reignite their interest and this was hinted by Fluminense president Mario Bittencourt who said: “The chief executive of Liverpool contacted me directly. And I replied to him ‘my friend, I don’t sell a player now and I don’t deliver now. If you want to buy now to take in January, we can start talking, or if you want to wait until December and we talk in December’.

"Saying this first hand, we didn’t receive a proposal for him, only surveys for Andre. We chose not to sell him because we believed that we would reach the final stages of the Libertadores. It was a decision made with sporting criteria."