In his column on Football Insider, journalist Pete O’Rourke reveals that Fulham have reached an agreement in principle with Fluminense to sign Tottenham target Andre Trindade.
Trindade has emerged as one of the best central midfielders in the Brazilian top-flight in recent seasons and played a key role in Fluminense’s triumph in the Copa Libertadores this year.
The youngster has now broken into the Selecao squad and looks set to be the next Brazilian international in the Premier League.
In recent months, it has been reported that Spurs are one of several English clubs to have expressed an interest in the youngster, who is believed to be worth £30 million (Globo Esporte).
This was confirmed last month by Lance, who claimed that the Lilywhites have sent scouts to Brazil this season to assess the 22-year-old.
However, The Sunday Mirror (19/11, page 74) then claimed that Fulham had broken into the race to sign the defensive midfielder in the first place.
It was agreed that Fulham would sign Andre:
O’Rourke has now said that the Cottagers have reached an agreement in principle with Fluminense and are ready to bring Andre to the Premier League.
He added that Marco Silva’s men are now just waiting for the green light from the player, who is said to be keen on the idea of moving to England.
The journalist says that this development has led Spurs, Arsenal and Liverpool to stop their interest in Andre.
Andre may have felt that in a mid-table side like Fulham he had a better chance of playing regularly, and the fact that Marco Silva speaks the same language may have contributed to the Cottagers’ success.