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Lucas Leiva's decade of service to Liverpool Football Club looks set to end next month.

Inter Milan have made an approach to sign the 29-year-old Brazilian on loan in January with a view to a permanent transfer next summer.

Jurgen Klopp is prepared to sanction the deal and Lucas, who has made 326 appearances for the Reds, is open to the idea of making the move to the Serie A outfit.

Barring an injury crisis changing Liverpool's stance over the coming week, it looks increasingly likely that the Kop will be waving goodbye to one of the club's finest servants of the Premier League era.

Why is Klopp prepared to let Lucas leave?

Lucas has only started only three of Liverpool's 17 Premier League matches so far this season.

Moved from a holding midfield role to playing centre-back under Klopp, he currently finds himself below Joel Matip, Dejan Lovren and Ragnar Klavan in the pecking order.

Klopp asked Lucas to stay when Galatasaray made him a lucrative offer last summer as he wanted him to provide defensive cover.

However, since then Joe Gomez has returned to full fitness after a year on the sidelines.

Klopp had never worked with Gomez – the young defender rupturing his ACL on England Under-21s duty just days after the German took over at Anfield in October 2015.

But the Reds boss has been hugely impressed by both Gomez's talent and application in training. Klopp has dismissed all loan offers for the 19-year-old and believes he will have a role to play for Liverpool in the second half of the season.

Klopp appreciates that Lucas sacrificed himself last summer, putting the club first and that adjusting to life as a squad player hasn't been easy.

The Reds boss has great respect for Lucas, who is a leader in the dressing room and a role model for the youngsters. His attitude has always been top class.

However, with Gomez back fit, the manager believes it would be wrong to block another move for Lucas when his game time is likely to be limited over the coming months.

Watch - Klopp on transfer plans for January

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What about Lucas himself?

If this is the end of his Liverpool career then he will depart with a heavy heart.

Merseyside has been home since he arrived in a £5million deal from Gremio in the summer of 2007. He's settled with his wife and two young children.

But at this stage of his career he needs to play. Lucas has never been the type who is happy simply to train and pick up his wages each week.

Representing Liverpool means everything to him. Missing out when the team sheet is pinned up hurts.

“I have to understand the situation at the moment, keep working and be ready for when the opportunities come,” he told the ECHO last month.

“Of course everyone wants to play but we don't have as many games as last year. You have to understand this but accepting it is very hard. If you accept not playing too easily then you probably won't be ready when the chance comes.

“I will never just accept not playing. The day I do is probably the day I should think about something else.”

His relationship with Klopp is strong and he appreciates the manager's honesty.

A move to Stefano Pioli's Inter Milan is attractive. They sit seventh in Serie A and are able to offer him the regular first-team football he craves.

Inter also have fellow Brazilians Felipe Melo, Miranda and Gabriel on their books.

Will Lucas be missed?

Undoubtedly. He's a popular figure both in the dressing room and in the stands.

In a young squad he offers a wealth of experience. He also provides cover both at the back and in midfield.

You could make a strong case for arguing that Liverpool should keep hold of him until the end of the season, especially considering the injury problems Matip and Lovren have had – coupled with the fact that Gomez hasn't played first-team football for 14 months.

If he gets the Anfield farewell he deserves then he will depart with appreciate applause ringing in his ears.

Lucas' longevity at Liverpool during a period of sweeping changes is remarkable. After overcoming a difficult start to life at Anfield, he has gone on to play for five different managers.

Only five overseas players in the club’s 124-year history have stuck around longer. They are Arthur Riley (South Africa, 1925-1940), Berry Nieuwenhuys (South Africa, 1933-1947), Bruce Grobbelaar (Zimbabwe, 1981-1994), Jan Molby (Denmark, 1984-1996) and Sami Hyypia (Finland, 1999-2009).

Hyypia (318), Pepe Reina (285), Martin Skrtel (242) and John Arne Riise (234) are the only foreign stars who can beat Lucas’ current tally of 231 Premier League outings for Liverpool.

Off the field, he's a long-serving Liverpool FC Foundation ambassador who has dedicated hundreds of hours of his time to good causes across the city.

Liverpool turned down interest from Napoli in the summer of 2014 and from Inter Milan the following January.

In the summer of 2015 Brendan Rodgers pulled the plug on Lucas' transfer to Besiktas at the 11th hour after Jordan Henderson was sidelined by a heel injury.

Last summer it was Galatasaray who were left frustrated in their attempts to secure his services.

Lucas has made a habit of fighting back from the brink over the years, silencing his critics and proving his enduring importance to Liverpool.

But this time a parting of the ways look increasingly inevitable.