Joao Palhinha very nearly left Fulham on the final day of the previous transfer window, even travelling to Munich to complete a move to Bayern. However, Fulham had to pull the plug at the eleventh hour because they couldn't find a replacement, forcing Palhinha to return to London.
The Portuguese subsequently signed a new deal at Craven Cottage – one that doesn't include a release clause – but there remains a possibility that he'll leave the club. Speaking earlier this month, he confirmed that "someday" he would depart, which appeared to hint at a desire to play at a higher level.
The good news for Marco Silva, though, is that in the form of Fluminense's Andre, Fulham may have identified a long-term replacement for the 28-year-old even before he's moved on.
Fulham table Andre offer
According to journalist Ben Jacobs, Fulham have now made a bid for Andre. The offer consists of a guaranteed £30m with a further £5m potentially arriving later in add-ons. The club are now waiting to hear whether it will be accepted.
Significantly, the player's side of the deal shouldn't be a problem if they can reach an agreement with Fluminense. Fulham CEO Alistair Mackintosh shook hands on personal terms with Andre when he went to watch him in the Copa Libertadores final against Boca Juniors in early November.
Andre is half quality, half tenacity
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola picked out Andre as a "quality" player before his side's 4-0 victory over Fluminense in the Club World Cup final last month, while South American football expert Tim Vickery has likened him to a "young Javier Mascherano" who's "fierce in the tackle". Those descriptions perfectly sum up what Andre is all about – smooth in possession, tenacious out of it.
He led the Brazilian Serie A in the 2023 season for pass completion (94.5%), but he wasn't just knocking it safely sideways or backwards. He took genuine risks with the ball, topping the leaderboard for passes into the final third with 223. The table below shows the commanding advantage he holds over Palhinha in numerous on-ball metrics, both when it comes to the volume and the success rate of his actions.
Passes attempted
84.7
42.4
Pass completion
94.5%
82.8%
Long pass completion
80.5%
64.1%
Progressive passes
6.26
2.89
Passes into the final third
7.59
3.01
Part of that difference may be down to the fact that Andre plays for the champions of South America, while Palhinha is plugging away at a Fulham side that sits 13th in the Premier League table, but it still seems like he'd help the Cottagers evolve while retaining that essential bite. Indeed, he placed in the league's top 15 midfielders for tackles won last year while Fulham impressed as top-flight newcomers (37).
League leaders Liverpool enquired about a deal for Andre last summer, which shows that he'd be quite the coup for Silva and Mackintosh if Fulham can get the deal done from here. However, there is now less than a fortnight remaining to get a transfer over the line.