Andre Trindade might have got his hands on the Copa Libertadores trophy on Saturday, but his the Liverpool transfer target’s season and time with Fluminense is far from over.
Liverpool made contact with Fluminense in the summer regarding the midfielder’s availability, only to be informed they had no intention of selling up midway through their domestic season. Such a decision was made with one eye on the Brazilian club’s Copa Libertadores campaign, with it agreed at the start of the year that Andre would stay put until January 2024. Ultimately, such a stance paid off for both player and club, with the 22-year-old helping Fluminense beat Boca Juniors to win the Copa Libertadores last weekend. Triumphing 2-1 after extra-time, the victory saw the Brazilian outfit crowned champions of South America for the first time in their history.
Since the win, Fluminense president Mario Bittencourt has admitted that he expects Andre to leave in January. But while the Champions League final – the Copa Libertadores’ European equivalent – is traditionally the final club game of each season, the Brazilian campaign is far from over.
Fluminense are still scheduled to play another seven matches in the 2023 Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A, with Andre and his team-mates set to make their domestic return away at Internacional on Wednesday night. Their league campaign will come to an end at home to Luis Suarez’s Gremio on Wednesday, December 6. Currently occupying eighth spot in the table after 31 matches, Fluminense are 14 points behind league-leaders Botafogo. However, they are already guaranteed a place in next season’s Copa Libertadores group stages regardless of league position courtesy of their victory in this season’s tournament.
