Liverpool’s Lucas Leiva is set to leave the club, according to a report.
As reported by the Daily Mail, Liverpool midfielder Lucas Leiva is set to leave the club and join Turkish outfit Beiktas on a season-long loan deal.
The Brazil international has struggled to break into the Reds’ first team this season, with manager Brendan Rodgers preferring James Milner and Jordan Henderson through the middle.
With Emre Can, Joe Allen and youngster Jordan Rossiter in reserve, the Reds have plenty of competition for places, and Lucas has seemingly become surplus to requirements.
According to the Daily Mail, the former Gremio man is to join Besiktas, the Turkish giants who incidentally knocked Liverpool out of last season’s Europa League on penalties.
Benefits of allowing Lucas Leiva to leave on loan
The deal is somewhat bizarre considering how useful Lucas can be, especially in such an important role when the Reds face their fellow challengers such as Arsenal away from home in the Premier League on Monday.
However, allowing him to join Besiktas does have some benefits, with fellow defensive midfielder Emre Can stepping up and likely to be given more first-team chances and a better opportunity to develop.
If the club harbour hopes of selling Lucas, then loaning him out to a top team abroad could see his potential value rise as he plays more regularly and becomes an integral part of a winning team.
The 28-year-old undoubtedly has an abundance of ability as a protector in front of the back four, and an injury-free successful campaign out on loan may even help ignite his Liverpool career once more.
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