Passport holds key as Lucas Leiva waits to join up with Liverpool
Jul 14 2007 by Chris Bascombe, Liverpool Echo
LUCAS Leiva will finally join the Liverpool squad next week - providing the Reds can secure his European passport.
Leiva kicked off Rafa Benitez’s summer spending before the end of last season when a £5m deal was agreed with Brazilian club Gremio.
However, the move was dependent on the 20-year-old acquiring the necessary documents allowing him to play in England, and the Reds reserved the right to cancel the transfer if they couldn’t secure the player’s eligibility.
Liverpool have been working for the last few months to secure an Italian passport for the player. Benitez is hopeful all the documentation will be in place over the weekend, allowing the youngster to join the squad at their Swiss training camp.
"We expect Lucas to be able to join us in Switzerland," confirmed the manager.
On a similar theme, Bulgarian Under-21 goalkeeper Nikolay Mikhailov appears to be on the verge of seeing his dream move to Liverpool collapse.
The Reds looked set to capture the 19-year-old from Bulgarian champions Levski Sofia, but he's struggling to get a work permit.
Liverpool are now considering whether to cancel the deal rather than pursue a lengthy battle with echoes of the Mark Gonzalez case.
Liverpool’s other Brazilian, Fabio Aurelio, is continuing his recovery from a knee cruciate and hopes to return to full training in a month.
“Fabio isn’t fit yet. It could be another month before he is recovered, but we knew it would be a long time when he suffered the injury,” said Benitez.
“He is improving, but it’s not easy when you have this kind of injury.”
New signings Ryan Babel and Yossi Benayoun, who were both introduced at Anfield yesterday, are in contention to make their debuts against Auxerre next Friday.
"They will probably play in the second game in Switzerland," said Benitez. "Ryan has played a lot this summer already.
“We will test both players, but I'm sure they will be available next week."
CLICKY -The Echo
Jul 14 2007 by Chris Bascombe, Liverpool Echo
LUCAS Leiva will finally join the Liverpool squad next week - providing the Reds can secure his European passport.
Leiva kicked off Rafa Benitez’s summer spending before the end of last season when a £5m deal was agreed with Brazilian club Gremio.
However, the move was dependent on the 20-year-old acquiring the necessary documents allowing him to play in England, and the Reds reserved the right to cancel the transfer if they couldn’t secure the player’s eligibility.
Liverpool have been working for the last few months to secure an Italian passport for the player. Benitez is hopeful all the documentation will be in place over the weekend, allowing the youngster to join the squad at their Swiss training camp.
"We expect Lucas to be able to join us in Switzerland," confirmed the manager.
On a similar theme, Bulgarian Under-21 goalkeeper Nikolay Mikhailov appears to be on the verge of seeing his dream move to Liverpool collapse.
The Reds looked set to capture the 19-year-old from Bulgarian champions Levski Sofia, but he's struggling to get a work permit.
Liverpool are now considering whether to cancel the deal rather than pursue a lengthy battle with echoes of the Mark Gonzalez case.
Liverpool’s other Brazilian, Fabio Aurelio, is continuing his recovery from a knee cruciate and hopes to return to full training in a month.
“Fabio isn’t fit yet. It could be another month before he is recovered, but we knew it would be a long time when he suffered the injury,” said Benitez.
“He is improving, but it’s not easy when you have this kind of injury.”
New signings Ryan Babel and Yossi Benayoun, who were both introduced at Anfield yesterday, are in contention to make their debuts against Auxerre next Friday.
"They will probably play in the second game in Switzerland," said Benitez. "Ryan has played a lot this summer already.
“We will test both players, but I'm sure they will be available next week."
CLICKY -The Echo
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