Agent: "Lucas Leiva could leave Liverpool" in January

Stop me if you've heard this one before: Lucas Leiva could leave Liverpool in the upcoming transfer window, and he could totally go to Napoli because he really likes Rafa Benitez because Rafa brought him to England and helped make him the star he almost was before his knee got destroyed.

Shocking, I know.

This time, at least, it's Lucas' agent Henrique Coelho doing the talking directly, giving the following quote to Calciomercato:

"Is it possible for Lucas Leiva to leave Liverpool in January? Yes, naturally. Lucas really likes Rafa Benitez. After all, the two know each other well from when the Spaniard was manager of Liverpool."

Let's be honest: we're not learning anything new here. Lucas has been on the verge of leaving Liverpool for almost a year now, and that entire time he's been interested or in love with or intrigued by the notion of joining Napoli because Rafa is really cool. Or something.

The thing is though, while a move for Lucas might have made sense in the summer, with David Lopez kicking ass and taking names, Lucas isn't really all that necessary. While Napoli could probably get him for a low transfer fee as he's played just seven times in all competitions for Liverpool this season, Lucas' wages would likely be far higher than they're worth. With the club in dire need of help at other positions, there's much higher priorities for what transfer and wage budget is available than another defensive mid.

While a move for Lucas is certainly possible, it's not terribly plausible any longer. This is one to toss on the "not likely to happen" pile.