Liverpool midfielder Lucas Leiva’s potential move to Galatasaray seems to have taken a hit due to the player’s absurd wage demands. According to Fotomac, Galatasaray and Leiva were in negotiations for a switch in the summer.
However, that doesn’t seem to be happening now as the talks have stalled, with the Turkish club planning to pull out of the negotiations as a result of their unwillingness to match the Brazilian’s demands.
The report claims that Leiva is demanding £3 million per year from Galatasaray, and he also wants a £1.5 million signing-on fee. Lucas rejected Galatasaray’s first offer saying his wage shouldn’t be paid in Euros, and he’s said it’s non-negotiable as he only wants to be paid in British Sterling.
However, the claim seems untrustworthy considering the current financial climate. It looks like the Galatasaray board are not willing to bend to the Liverpool veteran’s demands and it looks increasingly likely that the deal may fall through.
The talks have stalled and unless Leiva eases his demand, the move would not happen for sure. Galatasaray would see no necessity to match such weird wage demands for a player who is 30-years old. They could turn their attention to younger players with more scope for development if this is going to be the case with Leiva.
Leiva has made 29 appearances this season and has scored 1 goal and provided 3 assists so far. He has featured as a defensive midfielder and as a centre-half this season and his versatility has helped Liverpool a great deal as they have managed to play with a really weak backline.
Liverpool’s defensive struggles are obvious and this might be a step in the right direction to try and bring in a quality defensive minded player in place of the 30-year old. With all due respect to Lucas Leiva and his incredible service to Liverpool, it might be time to move on and bring in a quality young player in his place.
