Lucas Leiva is a man that's gone through the motions, having gone from pariah, to fan favourite, and then back to castaway again. However, according to our interview with the Football Editor of The Times, Tony Evans, Lucas' time at Anfield may finally be over, with the club no longer requiring his services.
Liverpool are reportedly willing to let the Brazilian midfielder go, with Emre Can's arrival from Bayer Leverkusen signifying that Lucas' first-team opportunities are likely to dwindle in the coming seasons, should he opt to stay.
Evans believes that he will "definitely" be gone after this summer, after we posed the question as to who he believes will leave before the 2014-15 season.
Speculation has linked the 27-year-old with a move away for some time. Having played 243 times, and scored six goals, Lucas has had a turbulent time whilst on Merseyside. It took the hardened defensive midfielder some time to win over the fans, but after being shifted from an attacking midfield role back into a more withheld role with defensive duties, Lucas responded brilliantly.
He became one of the best players in the squad, winning the 2011-12 Player of the Year comfortably, but then injuries took their toll. Furthermore, Steven Gerrard's reinvented role has meant less and less playing time for Lucas.
Nowadays, he finds himself little more than a squad player and though adequate back-up to fill in for injuries etc, Lucas is rumoured to be searching for increased first-team chances elsewhere.
It's not new news that Lucas is available to leave, with The Telegraph reporting he was one of several available for sale back in May, but he may just change the mind of Brendan Rodgers through pre-season. So far, against Brøndby and Preston, he has been disappointing and the chances of having a future at the club are declining day-by-day. That means he will really have to up his form if he is going to convince Rodgers that he should stay at Anfield and fight for a place.
He's proved people wrong before, can he do it again?
Even if not, Napoli are rumoured to be one club particularly interested in his services. Managed by Rafael Benitez, the man who brought Lucas to Anfield, the Spaniard is keen on bringing the Brazilian to Italy in a loan move but the two clubs have so far yet to find an agreement, with the Reds looking for a permanent sale.
According to Evans, it's more likely than not that Lucas will be wearing the colours of a new club before the transfer window ends on August 31st.
You can read the Tony Evans interview in full here: https://www.vavel.com/en/football/premier-league/liverpool-fc/372188-vavel-exclusive-interview-with-tony-evans-of-the-times.html