Liverpool and Arsenal target seals £21m Premier League deadline day move in odd twist

Liverpool and Arsenal target Andre has completed a deadline day transfer to Wolves from Fluminense. The 23-year-old has been linked with a move to the Premier League over the last year after making a name for himself in the Brazilian Serie A.

Liverpool bid £25million for Andre ahead of Jurgen Klopp’s final campaign at the helm last summer but failed to get a deal over the line.

The Gunners were then believed to be interested in securing his services last autumn, with Manchester United also said to have been keen on the player.

On Friday evening Wolves confirmed that Andre had joined the club, with the BBC reporting that the transfer would cost the Black Country giants an initial £18.5m plus a further £2.5m in add-ons.

The midfielder won the Copa Libertadores – South America’s version of the Champions League – in 2023 and has represented Brazil on five occasions.

He made 197 appearances for Fluminense, with his final match coming in a 2-0 win over Clube Atletico Mineiro on Sunday.

And following his transfer, Wolves sporting director Matt Hobbs said: “It feels like a long time in the making. He’s got the same agent as Joao Gomes and is a player we talked about when we did Joao.

“We hadn’t been in a financial position in other windows to do it, when we were interested. It’s one that I thought we were going to miss out on, so I’m unbelievably excited to have him come and join us.

“He works hard, wins his tackles and picks up second balls. He’s physically good and we think he’ll thrive in the Premier League, similar to how Joao has. Our midfield now feels like a real strength of ours.

“I want the fans to be excited about it, but remember when Joao came across, he had six months to sit under Mario [Lemina] and Ruben [Neves] and get used to the country and the Premier League with minutes off the bench. We’ve got to give players the time to settle.

“You can never have enough players that have won trophies. But it’s a player that we’re picking on the way up, he’s not coming to having won his trophies on the way down. He’s won trophies at a young age and he’s still on his way up and still wants to learn and grow and commit and be part of the project.”

Wolves have endured a tough start to the new Premier League season, having been thumped 6-2 by Chelsea at Molineux last Sunday following a 2-0 reverse against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on the opening weekend of the campaign. The side travel to Nottingham Forest on Saturday ahead of the international break.