Klopp stuns Arteta as Liverpool ‘agree personal terms’ with major Arsenal target; two hurdles left for deal to go through

Liverpool have taken a serious step closer towards the signing of Fluminense midfielder and Arsenal target Andre after agreeing personal terms with the player, according to the latest reports.

The Reds spent their entire summer transfer budget rebuilding their midfield with four new names arriving to the combined cost of £145.2m. But while Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch have all settled quickly and found a role in the Liverpool side, it remains to be seen what sort of role their fourth capture in Waturu Endo will play during their long-term.

Indeed, at 30-year-old, Liverpool broke with tradition to bring in the £16.2m man from Stuttgart. To date, the Japan international has played 11 times for the Reds, though he’s made just one start in the Premier League to the combined total of just 118 minutes.

As a result, Endo is seemingly viewed by Jurgen Klopp as a short-term option only, with the Reds boss still very much in the market to sign a new defensive midfielder.

That hunt has led to suggestions that a move for unwanted Manchester City man Kalvin Phillips could be on the agenda. However, with City wanting a staggering £50m to sell the 27-year-old to their rivals, Liverpool are instead looking overseas in their hunt for a new DM.

And the man they are consistently being linked with is Fluminense star Andre, who is also on Arsenal’s radar.

Indeed, with Arsenal sporting director Edu well connected in his homeland, the Gunners had appeared to strong arm their way to the front of the queue to sign the one-time capped Brazil midfielder.

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Liverpool take significant step towards Andre transfer

And with a €40m (£35m) exit clause in his deal, it seems a January move appears on the cards for the 22-year-old.

However, rather than Arsenal locking on to his signing, it is Liverpool who are now nudging their way to the front of the queue for his signature.

And according to journalist Francois Plateau, Liverpool have taken a major step towards his signing by ‘agreeing personal terms’ with the player on a January move to Anfield.

While details of the salary and length of deal have not been revealed, it is believed the Reds are now in the driving seat to push through the deal with Liverpool having a history of striking transfers prior to the official opening of the winter window. Indeed, that was something they did last year when announcing an agreement for Cody Gakpo; a repeat of the trick they pulled off in signing Virgil van Dijk back at Christmas 2017.

Now Liverpool just need to agree on a fee with Fluminense for a deal to go through, with the Reds still hopeful of securing a deal for less than his exit clause and perhaps nearer the €35m (£30.5m) mark.

He would also need to pass a medical before making any move. In the meantime, the player has made clear his current focus is on helping Fluminense to Copa Libertadores glory ahead of the final against River Plate on Saturday night.

January move on the agenda for Brazil star

However, he does admit a transfer remains a strong possibility once the game is out of the way.

“I think every player one day dreams of playing for a big club in Europe, in a big league,” he said. “But I decided to keep my word because when the January window closed, [Fluminense manager] Fernando Diniz arrived and told me that he wanted me here until the end of the year. We didn’t know that a proposal of that amount would arrive and I told him that, regardless of what happened, I would be there until the end of the season.

“I think if I had accepted this proposal, I don’t know if I would have felt 100 per cent comfortable because I had already agreed with Diniz.”

Fluminense president Mario Bittencourt, meanwhile, has previously admitted Liverpool are very much keen on the player having previously enquired over his signing in the summer.

Explaining why, though, that Liverpool’s offer was rejected back then but that a winter move could be on the radar, he commented: “‘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’.”

Andre has played 157 times for Fluminense, scoring four times but having become renowned for his outstanding work in shielding the defence.

He has won the four trophies in his time in the side, but the Copa Libertadores would be the biggest of the lot if they can overcome their Argentine opponents at the Maracana.

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