Liverpool's Lucas Leiva edges closer to reunion with Rafa Benitez at Napoli

The Brazilian midfielder posts a picture of light at the end of the tunnel

Lucas Leiva is hopeful that he will join Napoli (Getty)

Liverpool's Lucas Leiva is hopeful that he will join Napoli, reuniting him with his former Reds manager Rafael Benitez.

The Independent on Sunday understands that there are a number of obstacles for the Italian side still to clear before the 27-year-old makes a move to Stadio San Paolo, but the player tweeted an enigmatic picture yesterday (sat) afternoon depicting light at the end of a tunnel – which appeared to suggested that he feels that Benitez will now offer him the new start he craves.

Napoli remain in communication with Manchester United about the possibility of securing Marouane Fellaini on loan. But with three weeks of the transfer window still to run and Fellaini’s £100,000-a-week United salary at a level Napoli could not meet in its entirety, Lucas seems the more likely signing for Benitez.

Lucas is certainly keen to move on now from Anfield, where Benitez signed him from Gremio in 2007 but where he only started 20 games in the 2014/14 and a mere five in this calendar year.

He was devastated that his disappearance from the Liverpool starting XI after the turn of the year led to his omission from this summer’s Brazil World Cup squad and feels he has stagnated. The Brazilian accepts that Steven Gerrard's transition into deep lying midfielder has rendered him redundant on Merseyside, with Joe Allen also emerging as another contender for the deeper lying midfield role as last season wore on. Liverpool are willing to sell Lucas – a hugely popular player with the club’s fans – so bringing he player’s personal struggle to a close.