Liverpool will hold on to Brazilian midfielder Lucas until the end of August in case we need him in the first few weeks of the season.
This is according to the Echo, who claim that due to the current injuries at centre-back, Jurgen Klopp is unwilling to sanction a sale to Galatasaray – despite the Turkish giants being desperate to sign our 29-year-old.
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Currently Mamadou Sakho and Joe Gomez are going to miss the start of the campaign with injuries, while Joel Matip faces a race to be fit following his own ankle problems. That means Dejan Lovren and Ragnar Klavan are the only current senior centre-back options available to the boss, who will be preparing a side to face Arsenal in ten days’ time.
Lucas himself is injured, but should be back within a fortnight. Last term, he played at centre-half on more than one occasion to aplomb, with many suggesting it could be our longest serving player’s future position.
By keeping Lucas until the end of the month, Klopp maintains cover at the back until Sakho and Gomez return to fitness.
It’ll be sad to see Lucas go, having watched his entire career since his arrival nine years ago. He’s been a loyal servant, and he’ll no doubt fulfil this final request, too.