Former Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez has turned his attentions to signing Lucas Leiva for Napoli, after baulking at the £4million asking to take Maraoune Fellaini on a season long loan from Manchester United, reports the Metro.
Benitez brought Lucas to Liverpool in the summer of 2007, and the Brazilian has gone on to make 214 appearances for the club since.
However, Brendan Rodgers has strengthened his midfield this summer with the arrivals of Adam Lallana and Emre Can, meaning the 27-year-old finds himself surplus to requirements at Anfield.
Benitez is ready to offer Lucas an escape route, having grown frustrated with his pursuit of Manchester United midfielder Maraoune Fellaini.
The former Reds boss said earlier this week: ‘Fellaini is a Manchester United player, it does not depend on us, but it depends on them.
‘He is a great player, but he is at another team. It appears he is waiting for Van Gaal. We will have to wait.’
Brendan Rodgers is believed to have Lucas he is free to leave the club this summer, having fallen behind Jordan Henderson and Joe Allen in the pecking order last season, and the arrivals of Can and Lallana.
Do you think Lucas should be sold this summer when he is one of the few midfielders in our squad with Champions League experience? Let us know your thoughts below.
Do it Rafa please
As far as I am concerned, this is a sale that is long, long overdue. For quite some time now, Lucas has been very mediocre. For a Brazilian, his touch is very poor and he would have difficulty scoring even if the goal was wide open and empty. And before anyone says it, I know he scored the winning penalty in one of the pre-season games. No one was more surprised than me