Fluminense president Mario Bittencourt has confirmed he rejected a bid of £26 million from Liverpool for Andre Trindade with the Brazil international a target for Premier League rivals Fulham these days.
It is no secret that Liverpool tried to bring one of the brightest talents in South America to Anfield during the summer of 2023. What’s more, this is not the first time Bittencourt has gone public with the interest from Jurgen Klopp’s Premier League leaders.
Now, however, with the coveted Copa Libertadores gong glittering in Fluminense’s trophy cabinet, the president needs only point at the winners’ medal on Andre Trindade’s chest as proof that he made the right decision when Liverpool came calling.
Liverpool failed to sign Fluminense’s Andre Trindade
“We had an offer of 30 million euros from Liverpool for Andre. And we said ‘no’,” Bittencourt tells Globo Esporte. “We had agreed, along with the player, that we would not sell because we wanted to win the Libertadores.
“We refused Liverpool to prioritise the Libertadores. I was criticised a lot, because they said it was financially irresponsible. If I had sold him, it would have been sportingly irresponsible.”
Andre played the full 90 minutes as Fluminense defeated Argentine giants Boca Juniors at the start of December. And while the tough-tackling Brazil international was expected to seal a belated big-money move across the Atlantic that following January, Andre somewhat surprisingly remains a Fluminense player for the time being.
HITC were informed a fortnight ago that, while Fulham had agreed personal terms with the player’s camp, they had not yet submitted a formal offer for the 22-year-old. Whether that changes before Thursday’s deadline remains to be seen, though some have suggested that Andre would only arrive if Joao Palhinha bids farewell first.
Fulham agree personal terms
“Since (turning down Liverpool), we have had a second offer from an English club for a price well below 30 million euros, which we refused,” Bittencourt adds without naming that ‘English club’ in question.
“It was below what Fluminense expects for the player. The situation does not worry us because the relationship with Andre and Carlos Leite (the player’s agent) is very good.
“You may be in for a surprise, and he will be gone within the next 24 hours. Or, (an offer) arrives in the middle of the year for him to leave. I believe it will happen by the middle of the year. It is important for him and for the club financially.
“His mind is very good, and that’s what I worry most about. He expects to go, because he fulfilled an agreement to stay, and I will also fulfil my agreement.
“The window closes in two days. There is a possibility that an offer will arrive in the next two days, and a sale will happen that is good for the club and the player.”
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