Turkish giants Galatasaray have reportedly seen a loan bid for Liverpool midfielder Lucas Leiva accepted.
Lucas finds himself in an uncertain position under Jurgen Klopp this summer, with the German pursuing two midfield targets in Piotr Zielinski and Mahmoud Dahoud.
While deals for the duo have so far reached an impasse, 20-year-old Serbian midfielder Marko Grujic has already arrived to bolster Klopp’s ranks.
Having already seen centre-back Martin Skrtel leave for the Super Lig, Klopp may have sanctioned the departure of his longest-serving player.
According to Turkish outlet FotoMac, the Reds have accepted an £800,000 offer from Galatasaray to take Lucas on loan for the 2016/17 campaign.
However, any move for Lucas will hinge on an agreement between the clubs over his wages, with the Jan Olde Riekerink’s side so far unwilling to pay the 29-year-old’s £60,000-a-week contract.
They are said to have offered to pay 80 percent of Lucas’ wage, which would be £48,000 per week, leaving the Reds to pay £12,000 per week.
Lucas has one year left on his current contract with Liverpool, ensuring that if he did spend the season with Galatasaray, it would likely spell the end of his career on Merseyside.
Speaking in June, the former Gremio midfielder admitted that he could leave the club this summer, saying “I’ll have a better idea when I return [for pre-season].”
“Whatever happens, the idea, as always, is to remain in Europe, mainly in England, which has a very strong and good league to play in,” he told Brazilian radio station Jovem Pan.
While joining Galatasaray would mean leaving England, Lucas would likely enjoy regular first-team football at the Turk Telekom Arena.
Like Skrtel, Lucas’ role at Liverpool diminished following Klopp’s arrival, though his performances deputising at centre-back could stay play a part in his short-term future.
Klopp is currently searching for reinforcements in defence following injury to Mamadou Sakho and Joe Gomez, and keeping Lucas to operate as a backup to Dejan Lovren and Joel Matip could be a last resort.
For the player’s sake, however, a move to Galatasaray may be beneficial—as at 29, Lucas still has plenty to offer.
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