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Liverpool midfielder Lucas Leiva is out of favour with Brendan Rodgers. Having been left out of the matchday squad for Liverpool’s first two games, the manager has made it clear to the player he isn’t seen as an important part of his plans for the new season and that he must move on if he wants regular football.
Just how out of favour Lucas was with Rodgers, though, wasn’t clear until now, with reports out of Turkey that Besiktas are confident of landing the midfielder on a loan deal with an option to buy next summer. If true, at least it should put an end any talk of Lucas being shopped out of necessity because FSG has asked Rodgers to balance his spend.
"There are discussions," said Beskitas transfer committee head Erdal Torunogullari. "Lucas is among our transfer targets, as we knew he was not in Brendan Rodgers’ plans for the new season. We reached out to the manager and have taken action. The negotiations continue, and we expect Lucas will be wearing the black and white soon."
Besiktas board member Erol Kayner added further confirmation, claiming a loan deal and not an outright purchase was "likely" and that he believed it could be done in a matter of days. Taken together, it’s clear the Turkish side are confident not only that they can land Lucas, but that they can get him on loan, with a purchase option likely.
Liverpool, meanwhile, may have avoided a midfield injury crisis two weeks into the season when it was revealed that Jordan Henderson’s foot injury was not a fracture, raising his chances of being available to face Arsenal on Monday.
