Soccer-Lucas ready to emerge as key Liverpool player

Sept 9 (Reuters) - Liverpool midfielder Lucas Leiva has put a summer of transfer speculations behind him and is determined to emerge as a key player for the Premier League club this season. The longest serving player in the current Liverpool squad, Lucas was linked with a move to Besiktas but the president of the Turkish side confirmed last month that the Reds were unwilling to offload the Brazil international. "It's been very intense (the window), to be honest. I think the last couple of years, every transfer window my name is (linked with a move)," the 28-year-old Lucas told the club website (liverpoolfc.com). "Of course there are times when you think you might have to move on and I was very close to moving but one thing I will always have is commitment to this club." "I'm here to fight for the club as I have been doing for eight years. I'm just looking forward to a good season and putting Liverpool back where it belongs. "Hopefully, I'll be an important player for the club this season." Currently seventh with seven points from four games, Liverpool visit fifth placed Manchester United when they resume their Premier League campaign on Saturday. (Reporting by Shravanth Vijayakumar in Bengaluru; editing by Amlan Chakraborty)