Premier League outfit Fulham remain keen on Andre but Fluminense coach Fernando Diniz wants around £25 million for the ‘best defensive midfielder in Brazilian football’, speaking to ESPN.
Marco Silva’s side have enjoyed plenty of success when it comes to signing Samba talent of late. Willian has been a man reborn at Craven Cottage; the Chelsea version returning to prove that Arsenal spell was little more than a blip in his career.
Andreas Pereira has been quietly excellent since arriving from Manchester United. And while Carlos Vinicius lacks consistency in attack, he will always have that London derby winner against Graham Potter’s Blues to look back on.
Fulham, Globo Esporte say, hope to add another Portuguese-speaker to their ranks. The Cottagers failed with a £17 million bid for Andre in January but could return with a vengeance come the summer; an excellent campaign meaning they can draw up their off-season plans without the fear of relegation impacting their budget.
Diniz, however, wants a colossal fee for a man who also has admirers in Spain and Italy.
Will Fulham sign Fluminense’s Andre?
“Andre today must be worth 20 to 30 million euros. (He is the) best defensive midfielder in Brazilian football,” says Diniz.
“He’ll have an easy career when he migrates to Europe. He should play at one, two or three World Cups.”
21-year-old Andre is yet to make his debut for the Brazilian national team. That could soon change, however; Fluminense’s number seven handed a call-up by interim coach Ramon Menezes ahead of this month’s international break.
Club president Mario Bittencourt, meanwhile, expects to see Andre stay until the New Year at least.
“We have an agreement with him that, in 2023, he will stay here to play in the Copa Libertadores,” Bittencourt tells Netflu.
“At the end of 2023, we will evaluate if interesting offers arrive. But, for sure, during 2023 Andre will not be sold. He will stay with us throughout the year.”
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