A year ago, Liverpool saw a £25 million bid for Brazilian midfielder Andre rejected by Fluminense, but the 23-year-old has now moved to the Premier League.
As Liverpool searched for reinforcements in midfield last summer, the club landed on Andre as a primary target to fill the void as a combative option.
Their interest led to a formal enquiry and reports of a number of bids, including a £25 million offer that, per sources in Brazil, was turned down.
Liverpool shelved their interest in Andre after the arrivals of Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch and Wataru Endo.
But with the club still searching for a new No. 6 this summer, there were muted calls from supporters to revive their pursuit of the Brazil international.
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Deadline day passed with no midfielder landing on Merseyside, and instead Andre swapped Fluminense for Wolves hours before the transfer window closed.
Wolves agreed a deal worth up to £21 million, including an initial fee of £18.5 million, with the player signing a long-term contract.
“We hadn’t been in a financial position in other windows to do it, when we were interested,” Wolves sporting director Matt Hobbs reflected, with the deal “a long time in the making.”
“It’s one that I thought we were going to miss out on, so I’m unbelievably excited to have him come and join us.
“He works hard, wins his tackles and picks up second balls. He’s physically good and we think he’ll thrive in the Premier League, similar to how Joao [Gomes] has.
“Our midfield now feels like a real strength of ours.”
Andre was in tears as he bid farewell to Fluminense, having previously pledged his loyalty to the Brazilian side amid interest from Liverpool as he focused on their eventual Copa Libertadores triumph.
He is one of four Brazilians in Gary O’Neil’s squad along with Joao Gomes, Pedro Lima and Matheus Cunha, while a strong Portuguese contingent remains in Jose Sa, Toti, Nelson Semedo, Rodrigo Gomes, Goncalo Guedes, Carlos Forbs and Daniel Podence.
Whether Andre would have been the right signing for Arne Slot‘s Liverpool is unclear, though it is possible that they will monitor his progress upon joining the Premier League.
Another two familiar targets also joined new clubs over the summer, with Khephren Thuram swapping OGC Nice for Juventus and Manu Kone joining AC Milan from Borussia Monchengladbach.
