According to reports, Liverpool could be set to miss out on two transfer targets from South America.
Fluminense midfielder Andre Trindade has been linked with the Reds for much of 2023, but talkSPORT claimed on Monday night that his Premier League move will instead be to Fulham, who have an agreement with principle to sign him for £20m.
Meanwhile, as per journalist Santi Aouna on X (formerly Twitter), another LFC-linked Brazilian in Lucas Beraldo is ‘close’ to completing a deal worth €25m (£21.6m) to join Paris Saint-Germain from Sao Paulo, with the centre-back having a ‘possible medical examination next week’.
Reports elsewhere in recent days have suggested that the centre of defence will be Liverpool’s priority in the January transfer window and that there aren’t any major intentions to bring in a midfielder, so the links with Andre already seemed to have cooled of late.
However, Jurgen Klopp may be disappointed that Beraldo seems bound for Paris, with the 20-year-old having potentially offered a long-term defensive option at Anfield as the injury-stricken Joel Matip enters the final six months of his current contract.
Other targets such as Goncalo Inacio and Piero Hincapie now appear to be at the head of the queue when it comes to possible winter recruits on Merseyside, so Jorg Schmadtke may well turn his focus towards that pair over the coming weeks.
Liverpool currently have seven first-team players sidelined through injury, with some of those being long-term layoffs, so they can ill afford to let January pass by without taking the one mid-season opportunity to bolster their squad.
If Andre and Beraldo now seem unattainable, the Anfield hierarchy will have little choice but to move on from both and instead concentrate their attention on prospective targets who could realistically be signed between now and the end of next month.
📖 Anfield Annals: John Smith – Liverpool’s Red Knight and Most Successful Chairman