According to transfer rumours and news reports over the past few days, Liverpool are prepared to let go of Brazilian defensive midfielder Lucas Leiva, who has been at the club since 2007, to Serie A side Inter Milan for a reported transfer fee of around £7million pounds.
He has made almost 200 club appearances for The Reds, but his fine defensive displays have been masked by persistent injury problems which have ruled him out of action in past seasons, meaning that he is not a guaranteed first-team starter when 100% fully fit and has to work his way through the ranks to prove himself every time he suffers an injury setback.
Lucas has however been a pivotal figure in Brendan Rodgers' side's recent return to stability, starting in 11 of the last 12 matches and the only game he missed was a 3-0 loss away Manchester United, the last time they tasted defeats since November but it is understood that he is still available for transfer at the right price.
Inter Milan are under new management, with former Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini having taken over the helm before the Christmas period; he has already done some shrewd business to sign attacking duo Lukas Podolski and Xherdan Shaqiri from Arsenal and Bayern Munich respectively over the past few days.
On social networking side Twitter, Lucas tweeted the following after their nervy 1-0 win over Sunderland on Saturday afternoon: "Great win, thanks for everything!". Many critics are suggesting that is a hint that he could be leaving the club soon, whether that be in the current January transfer window or in the summer window, at the end of the 2014-15 season.
Before kick-off yesterday, manager Brendan Rodgers was asked in the pre-match interview about his opinion on the potential deal, and whether there was any truth in the matter. He confirmed that although Inter had not contacted the club over Lucas' availability, a deal was there to be done if interested, but nothing was concrete.
Reports are hinting at the fact that Inter Milan would be eager to strike a deal in the current window, over a six-month loan deal with an option to buy him permanently in the summer for around £7million pounds - this is not the first time that Lucas has been linked with a move away from Anfield, as Napoli were quoted as being a club interested in signing him, back in the summer.