Fabrizio Romano has stated that two midfielders connected with Liverpool are’ready for the next step’ in their careers.

The Reds continue to be interested in Benfica’s Florentino Luis (Graeme Bailey) and Fluminense’s Andre Trindade, for whom they are said to be in ‘pole position’ (Pete O’Rourke).

The Italian addressed the situation with both players on the prospect of a move to Anfield in 2024 in his recent Daily Briefing for CaughtOffside.

“First and foremost, we’re hearing a lot about Florentino Luis,” Romano remarked. Some fans have inquired about possible links with Liverpool and Manchester United, but I’m afraid I’m not aware of anything substantial at this time. We had those connections during the summer as well, but nothing came of it.

“The only club interested in signing Luis in July was Nottingham Forest, but Benfica turned down every offer.” Still, I believe he’s ready to take the next step in his career; he’s a really excellent player.

“Talented young Fluminense midfielder Andre is another name emerging for Liverpool.” I believe he has a possibility to go in 2024, but we’ll have to wait and see what happens in terms of negotiations with Fluminense – it won’t be simple, as they are always tough negotiators. But Andre is completely prepared for the next level; he’s extremely skilled and has a wonderful mentality.”

Both players would be excellent additions to Jurgen Klopp’s midfield if they were to join the Reds.

Florentino has shown to be a ferociously aggressive and technically skilled cog in the Benfica machine, as seen by FBref figures from the last year of his career.

The 24-year-old is in the top 1% of European midfielders in terms of tackles (3.94) and interceptions (2.64) per game, and his pass completion rate of 89.1% puts him in the 96th percentile among his positional peers.

Meanwhile, Andre was one of the early starters in Fluminense’s run to the Copa Libertadores final, recording the club’s second-best passing average (93%) while winning more tackles (24) and blocks (20) than anybody else in the squad during that campaign, according to FBref.

Of the two players, the latter appears to be the more likely acquisition for Liverpool, as they appear to be further along in their pursuit of him than Florentino.

If the Reds can sign any of them next season, it will complete the seismic midfield makeover that began at the conclusion of last season and, once and for all, give them that commanding presence in the number 6 position.