Fulham have vaulted to the front of the queue in the race to sign Fluminense’s new Brazilian international Andre, according to reports from Brazil.

UOL correspondent Bruno Andrade suggests that the Whites have the upper hand over Premier League rivals Arsenal and Liverpool, who have moved on to alternative targets, after Marco Silva made the holding midfielder his January ‘priority’. The Fluminense president Mario Bittencourt has also claimed that the club are poised to sell the in-demand schemer for a club record fee of around £30m following their participation in the Club World Cup at the end of January.

The Brazilian press claim that Fulham’s prolonged pursuit of Andre, which saw the Whites fail with two bids over the summer, has intensified after Bayern Munich came close to signing Joao Palhinha in September. The Portuguese midfielder signed a new deal at Craven Cottage last month but his continued excellence in the Premier League could attract serious interest when the window reopens in the new year. We understand that the Whites are reluctant to lose Palhinha in January and that the move for Andre has been revived as Fluminense insisted they would not sell the midfielder until the conclusion of the Copa Libertadores.

With both Liverpool and Arsenal looking elsewhere for ballast at the base of their midfield, Fulham could capitalise by firming up a move having scouted the talented youngster during their Copa Libertadores campaign, which culminated in their win over Boca Juniors after extra time at the weekend. Andre marked his 150th Fluminense appearance with the opening goal in the quarter final success against Olimpia and has since been capped twice at senior level.