Klopp stunned as Arsenal devise crafty plan to sign top Liverpool target and fee soars to leave selling side beaming

Liverpool are in danger of falling behind in the race to sign Fluminense midfielder Andre after Edu made concrete plans to try and steer the Brazilian to Arsenal and leave the Merseysiders empty-handed.

The midfielder has high on the Jurgen Klopp Liverpool wishlist since the summer after his move to sign the 22-year-old was swiftly batted away by Fluminense. Indeed, their president made clear that no amount of money could convince him to sell at that point with his side having ambitions of lifting this season’s Copa Libertadores.

That decision appears to have paid rich dividends with the Brazilian side through to the November 4 showpiece where they will take on River Plate in the battle to be crowned kings of South America.

But the match could ultimately prove to be one of Andre’s final matches in a Fluminense shirt with his president admitting he is open to his sale once the January window opens for business.

“The chief executive of Liverpool contacted me directly,” Fluminense president Mario Bittencourt said last month. “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’.”

As a result, it is widely expected a move to Liverpool would go through with Klopp still hoping to add a new No 6 to a midfield revamp that has already seen Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Waturu Endo and Ryan Gravenberch arrive in recent months to the combined tune of £145.2m.

However, reports in Spain believe Liverpool are in growing danger of missing out to Arsenal.

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Arsenal make contact over deal for Liverpool target Andre

That’s after it was claimed that Gunners sporting director Edu, who is well respected in his homeland, reached out to his Fluminense counterpart to discuss a potential deal.

Per the report, Edu has made it clear that Arsenal would very much like to speak with the player if Fluminense do decide to cash in on the one-times capped Brazil midfielder.

Out of respect, those negotiations will not take place until after Fluminense’s clash against River Plate at the Maracana.

But once the final is out of the way, Arsenal are expected to step up negotiations for the player and could even sell two players to finance the move for Andre.

Indeed, Arsenal do still hope to sign a new striker in January – with £80m-rated Ivan Toney a leading target – but cannot afford a deal for both the Brentford man and Andre too unless sacrifices are made.

And while it’s not revealed which players Arsenal intend to sell, the Gunners have five players who are to fall out of contract in a matter of months.

Gunners interest sees Andre fee soar

Furthermore, so determined are Arsenal to beat Liverpool to his signing that it’s also claimed Edu could go above and beyond the player’s release clause to put themselves in the driving seat for his signature.

That (exit clause) currently sits at €35m (£30.4m), though it’s suggested Edu could pay as much as €40m (£34.8m) – and some £4.4m above his release – to secure a deal ahead of Liverpool.

That tactic has been used to great effect by Chelsea in recent windows, with both Moises Caicedo, Romeo Lavia and Mykhailo Mudryk brought in by offering over-inflated fees but by spreading the costs out further across the duration of lengthy deals.

Now Arsenal are willing to repeat the tactic with Andre, albeit on a lesser scale to that witnessed at Stamford Bridge.

Liverpool, as it stands, cannot be counted out the race for Andre either. However, the Merseysiders will now have to match the money reportedly being put up by Arsenal if they are to achieve a deal themselves.

The Gunners also boast a strong Brazilian contingent at the club already, with Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Magalhaes, Marquinhos and of course Edu already at the club, potentially offering them another slight advantage in the race.

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