Fulham 'confident' of striking a £21m deal for Brazilian midfielder

Last week, the Cottagers began their transfer business by re-signing academy product Ryan Sessegnon following his exit from Tottenham Hotspur.

They are expected to recruit Emile Smith-Rowe as their second signing of the summer, having reached an agreement to sign the Arsenal midfielder in a club-record deal worth up to £34m.

With Smith Rowe set to be unveiled in the coming days, Fulham are likely to turn their attention to signing a replacement for Portugal international Joao Palhinha.

The defensive midfielder spent two seasons at Craven Cottage before completing a move to German giants Bayern Munich earlier this summer.

Fulham hopeful of securing Andre deal

It was recently reported that Fulham was pursuing a deal to sign Fluminense's Andre after being previously linked with a move in the last two transfer windows.

Fluminense president Mario Bittencourt cast doubt over the potential move, revealing that Fulham were yet to respond to the Brazilian club's counter-offer.

However, according to journalist Bruno Andrade, Fulham are confident they can strike a deal to sign the Brazilian midfielder this summer.

The Cottagers want to agree a transfer for €25m (£21m), while Fluminense are looking to receive €30 (£25m) to part ways with a player who is under contract until December 2026.

Fulham are seemingly prepared to remain patient in their pursuit because they believe Fluminense will drop their asking price as the transfer window wears on.

From Copa Libertadores to Premier League?

Andre has spent his entire career with Fluminense, working his way through the club's youth set-up before making his senior debut in September 2020.

The 23-year-old has made 190 appearances across all competitions, contributing to Fluminense's attacking efforts with four goals and four assists.

The defensive midfielder was a key figure in Fluminens's Copa Libertadores success last year, starting 12 of the 13 matches to help the Brazilian club win the competition for the first time in their history.

Although their is uncertainty surrounding his future, Andre continues to be a regular fixture in the Fluminense side, having started each of the last four matches, including Sunday's 1-0 win over Bragantino.

Andre will be pleased to get valuable game time after recently returning from a knee injury which kept him out for around two months.