Lucas: Liverpool Blocked My Exit in the Summer

Lucas Leiva is no longer a first-team regular at Liverpool and he was subjected to major transfer rumours back in the summer.


The midfielder has opened up on the events leading up to his stay at Anfield. He says that Liverpool did not allow him to leave in the summer, and that he has grown to accept the decision. Lucas has featured in a couple of matches of late, but he is widely expected to leave either in January or in the upcoming summer transfer window provided Liverpool find a replacement. Signed by Rafa Benitez, it is a major surprise that Lucas has managed to stay at Anfield for such a long period given his struggles early on in his Liverpool career.

During the time of Kenny Dalglish and Brendan Rodgers, Lucas established himself as a regular first-team star. Even though he was not a Brazilian to provide flair to the team, he performed all the dirty work that Liverpool required after selling Javier Mascherano. It was rumoured that Lucas was very close to a move to Turkey. The 29-year-old has accepted that there were transfer offers, but he ended up staying simply because Liverpool had the power to say no to any transfer offer. Lucas has been at Liverpool since 2007 and will be completing a decade at Anfield next year.

“There really were a few exit opportunities, they ended up not happening.Liverpool didn’t feel comfortable to seal a deal.For the time I’ve been here, I respected the club and stayed for another year, for this season, starting my tenth season for the club, which is a very cool mark.A season with Klopp is much different than any other season I had with other managers.My relationship with him is very good, I have full confidence from him,” said Lucas.