GOAL tells you everything you need to know about the 22-year-old Brazilian, who has already been capped by the Selecao

Fabinho's shock transfer to Saudi Arabia means that Liverpool simply have to sign a defensive midfielder before the start of the 2023-23 season – and maybe even two, given Jordan Henderson has also moved to the Middle East.

Romeo Lavia is clearly Jurgen Klopp's top target, with Southampton having already rejected two bids for the Belgian teenager. However, it has now emerged that Liverpool are also lining up Fluminense midfielder Andre, either as an alternative to Lavia – or to compete for that hugely important role in front of an undeniably brittle back four.

The Anfield faithful are obviously very familiar with Lavia's talents, given the former Manchester City academy star is just coming off the back of a breakout season at St. Mary's – but less is known about Andre, who plies his trade in his native Brazil.

So, how good is the 22-year-old, who has been capped once by the Selecao, and would he prove a worthy successor to Fabinho? GOAL tells you everything you need to know about Andre below…

GettyWhere it all began

Andre was born in Algodao, Ibirataia, which is not exactly renowned as a hotbed of Brazilian football, given its remote location in the interior of northern state Bahia. The closest Serie A club is found in the coastal city of Salvador. So, opportunities to impress scouts can be hard to come by.

However, Andre was spotted while playing as a centre-forward in Gandu by local legend Beijoca, who brought him to former club Bahia. He made an instant impact and was promptly offered the chance to join Fluminense, who are based in Rio, nearly 1,500 kilometres away from Algodao.

Andre knew the opportunity was too good to turn down, but he was still only 13 and he struggled living so far from his family. "The first two or three years were difficult," he later admitted to . "Eventually, I got used to it because I knew there was no other way. Either I fought my homesickness or my dream would end."

AdvertisementGettyThe big break

While he slowly but surely began to settle off the field, life didn't get much easier on it for Andre, who had been converted into a defensive midfielder long before he broke into the Fluminense senior side in 2020. The Tricolor had a strong squad at the time. Joao Pedro and Marcos Paulo, for example, would both end up moving to Europe.

As a result, Andre, struggled for game time, particularly during the first half of the 2021 campaign under new coach Roger Machado. Indeed, Andre was about to be loaned to Botafogo when fate intervened. Veteran No.6 Hudson suffered a serious, season-ending injury, so Fluminense decided to hold on to Andre simply so they would have sufficient cover in the middle of the park.

He gradually began to see more first-team action and endeared himself to the fans by opening his Serie A account with an injury-time winner in a derby against Flamengo in July 2021 – just four minutes after coming off the bench.

"After that game, I started to establish myself here,” he told . “I think that goal was needed for me to say, 'I'm going to assert myself here in the professional ranks.’ That goal was the key change for me."

Getty ImagesHow it's going

The Flamengo goal was certainly a defining moment in Andre's career but so, too, was Machado's dismissal in August 2021. Marcao took over until the end of the season and Andre became a regular under the former defensive midfielder, impressing to such an extent that he was named the 2021 Serie A season's Best Newcomer.

Last year went even better, thanks in no small part to the appointment of Fernando Diniz as head coach shortly after the start of the 2022 campaign, replacing Abel Braga at the helm. To say that Diniz has played a pivotal role in Andre's development would be a massive understatement, given he's become something of a father figure to the youngster.

"Diniz is an exceptional person," Andre told . "In addition to being a great coach, he is a person who helped me on the field with his different style of play, which nobody has here in Brazil. It is his own philosophy. He added a lot to my style of play."

Indeed, Diniz, who is regarded as one of the most progressive tacticians in world football, made Andre the fulcrum of a team that dominates possession more than any other side in Serie A. The net result was Andre having more touches and making more successful passes in the league, which resulted in his inclusion in the Team of the Season, and eventually led to him earning his first Brazil cap earlier this year.

Getty ImagesBiggest strengths

Andre is obviously outstanding on the ball. He recycles possession quickly and effectively, providing Fluminense with the foundation on which they construct their varied and intricate attacks. What's arguably most impressive, though, is the way in which he carries himself on the pitch. There's not a trace of fear in his game. He appears to have no understanding of the term 'pressure', allowing him to perform at a level that belies his young age.

Hardly surprising, then, that last season he was referred to in the Brazilian press as 'The 21-year-old veteran'. In that sense, he wouldn't be at all intimidated by the prospect of having to prove himself in the Premier League.

Indeed, amid speculation of an international call-up last year, he was asked by how he would handle playing for the Selecao and he replied, "Regardless of the place, the field is green and the ball is round – nothing changes that." The kid doesn't lack confidence…