According to the Mail online, Lucas is looking forward to linking up with Rafa Benitez again at Napoli ....
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2844040/Liverpool-outcast-Lucas-Leiva-set-exit-Rafa-Benitez-s-Napoli-chasing.html
Liverpool outcast Lucas Leiva set for exit with Rafa Benitez's Napoli chasing
The Brazil international has only made seven appearances this season
Lucas Leiva is open to a move in January with Napoli interested
The midfielder could link up with former Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez
Liverpool outcast Lucas Leiva set for exit with Rafa Benitez's Napoli chasing
Lucas Leiva has admitted he is open to a move away from Liverpool and could join Napoli in search of regular football.
The Brazil international has only featured seven times for Brendan Rodgers' side this season with his current deal at the Merseyside club ending in 2017.
The 27-year-old nearly joined Napoli in the summer, a move which would reunite him with former Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez in Serie A.
'Is it possible that Lucas could leave Liverpool in January? Yes, naturally. Lucas likes Rafael Benitez a lot. After all, the two know each other well from when the Spaniard was coaching Liverpool,' Lucas' agent Henrique Coelho told Calciomercato.com.
Having only made two Premier League starts this campaign Lucas has revealed he is open to a move away with limited playing time under Rodgers.
'I must think about leaving as there is no room for me at Liverpool,' Lucas told Radio Marca.
'I'm not speaking to anyone at the moment because I'm under contract, but I am looking around, given I am not playing.
'There was contact with Napoli last summer, but the parties didn't reach a satisfactory agreement. The situation at Napoli was not advantageous for everyone but despite that, I know Rafa Benítez has always had a lot of faith in me.
'I want to play but at the same time, I need to be patient. I need to find a solution, be it at Liverpool or some other club. In the past there were rumours linking me to Atlético Madrid, but there was nothing concrete,' Lucas added.
Lucas has fallen down the pecking order behind captain Steven Gerrard, Jordan Henderson and Joe Allen in the Liverpool midfield this season, despite their slow start.
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My Comment: Lucas - a player with great attitude and spirit, will miss him if/when he goes. He can still do a good job for the team if given sufficient opportunity. There was speculation that he could have left in the summer.
Lucas to Napoli?
posted on 22/11/14
If we are getting rid then we better have a replacement lined up.
posted on 22/11/14
Lucas should be first name on the team sheet in my opinion. He is our best central midfielder. He is the only player who makes everyone else play better. He puts his foot in, closes down well, hits crisp, early, accurate and simple passes and gives his all for the team for the full 90 mins.
Can't believe we are considering moving him on.
posted on 22/11/14
Agree with all three above.
posted on 22/11/14
would be sad to see him go
posted on 22/11/14
Hasn't been the player he once was for ages now. I'm not entirely should he suits the quick game we employ either. He's a player I like but wouldn't be devastated if he was sold.
posted on 22/11/14
A lot of revisionism going on with Lucas this season.
posted on 22/11/14
comment by righteous1 (U7048)
A lot of revisionism going on with Lucas this season.
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See what you mean, Lucas didn't fit very well with our high tempo pressing game of last season. But for many reasons we're not replicating that game and have become slower, so Lucas would fit this season's approach/non-approach much better.
posted on 22/11/14
Lucas strangely always manages to become a better player when the team are not in form and he's not playing regularly.
It's a JA/BBC 606 phakt!
posted on 22/11/14
Chelsea are so good when they have Matic holding in their team, we only have Lucas who is the same type of player in ours.
We shouldn't just keep him, we should play him
posted on 22/11/14
Lucas maybe a DM, but Matic is on a different level to him
Comparing them is fairly meaningless, especially when you consider the other 10 players Chelsea have around him.