Lazio Stalwart Welcomes Lucas Leiva With “Open Arms”

As previously noted, Serie A side Lazio have made an offer in the region of £5M for Liverpool’s Lucas Leiva. The Reds’ longest-serving squad member was omitted from the 25-man group traveling to Hong Kong for the Asia Premier League Trophy, and there are reports that the club have accepted the offer, clearing the way for Lucas to negotiate personal terms with his Roman suitors.

The fact of Lucas’ departure from Liverpool now seems like a fait accompli, with one of Lazio’s own longtime servants publicly welcoming the pending arrival of the Brazilian midfielder. Speaking to Mediaset, Senad Lulić - who has been with the Serie A side since 2011 - spoke enthusiastically about having another old hand in the squad who has experience playing in a variety of positions.

“Lucas Leiva is a great player with a lot of experience,” said Lulić. “We have so many young players here that we need someone like him. We await him with open arms and hope he arrives soon.”

Assuming the deal proceeds without any hiccups, Lucas will be going into a situation not too unlike the one he leaves at Liverpool - but for the fact that Jürgen Klopp seems intent on bolstering the positions where the Brazilian would mostly like have been deputizing. Though there will naturally be competition for minutes in Rome, Lazio will be involved in the upcoming iteration of the Europa League, so there’s a decent chance for Lucas to see more playing time and establish himself as a stabilizing influence in the squad.

Neither club has officially made any announcements regarding the move, but neither have there been any denials. Indeed, there are rumors that Lucas could be flying to Italy for a medical early in the coming week. After a number of false alarms over recent years, this now looks like it will be Lucas’ curtain call as a Liverpool player. Here’s hoping that he can dish out some “unlucky” moments for Lazio’s opponents in the league.

UPDATE: He’s already in Italy.