André's agent has revealed that a move from Corinthians to Milan was fully prepared before the Brazilian club's president refused to complete the transfer.
Diogo Silva, who represents the Corinthians midfielder, has explained how close the player came to moving to Italy after negotiations with Milan earlier this year.
According to Silva, the agreement had progressed to the point where the relevant contracts had already been prepared and signed by everyone involved except Corinthians president Augusto Melo.
"It was a decision by the president. At that moment, both were having a great moment in the Paulistão, with André scoring goals and in great form, but the president decided not to sign the contracts that were already prepared."
Silva said the decision was made because Corinthians believed keeping André could increase his value, although he now regards the timing of that decision as a mistake.
"The first is having thought about keeping him here to increase his value. Today we talk about it as a mistake, but at that moment it seemed like the right move."
The agent believes the consequences have become clearer with Corinthians' financial problems.
"If they had sold him, today it would have been a good move, because Corinthians would not have their transfer market blocked and could have used the money to pay salaries and strengthen the squad."
Silva also revealed just how close the AC Milan move had been.
"It was all signed by both sides: by Milan, by the Corinthians legal department, by my legal department, by the player... Only the president's signature was missing, and he decided not to proceed."
André had even spoken with Luka Modrić and Zlatan Ibrahimović during the process, giving the player an indication of how seriously the proposed move was being considered.
The failed transfer has not, however, left André pushing for an immediate exit.
Silva said he recently spoke with the midfielder to reassure him that the situation had effectively been reset.
"I told him that the situation had been reset, that there is now no negotiation underway, and that from now on we will deal with things more calmly and prepare the next transfer window with peace of mind."
The agent expects a new valuation to be discussed with Corinthians before the next window.
The club's current financial difficulties have made the situation more complicated, but Silva believes André's future will ultimately be determined by the offers that arrive.
"The value of a player is what is on the table, not what you think."
For now, André remains at Corinthians, with his agent expecting the next transfer window to provide another opportunity for the midfielder to move abroad.