Liverpool have handed permission for midfielder Alberto Aquilani to travel to Italy in order to try and secure a permanent move away from Anfield this summer.

Aquilani did not feature in Liverpool's pre-season goalless draw against Tottenham in Baltimore and was then allowed to travel to Rome, while the rest of the squad made the flight back to England to continue training.

The Liverpool Echo has reported that the Reds granted permission for Aquilani and his representatives to hold talks with a number of Serie A sides, with Fiorentina said to be the early favourites.

Alberto Aquilani
Alberto Aquilani could be on his way out of Liverpool on a permanent transfer. [Reuters]

The 28-year-old has spent the last two season's on-loan in Italy where he first joined Juventus, before then spending the next campaign with AC Milan as he continued not to feature in the plans of the Liverpool management.

After the dismissal of Kenny Dalglish, it had seemed as though Aquilani would be handed a fresh chance to impress under Brendan Rodgers, however, it appears the Northern Irishman is prepared to allow him to leave.

The difficulty in completing the deal comes with the wages that the Italian currently earns as his five-year deal with the club sees him earn a staggering £6.5million a year, which equates to £125,000-a-week.

Liverpool paid £18million to Roma for the midfielder back in the summer of 2009 but he has struggled to force his way into the plans of the manager and is unlikely to command a particularly high fee.

AC Milan refused to pay £5million for Aquilani in May and it appears as though Liverpool will have to take a major hit on a player who was signed to act as a replacement for Xabi Alonso.

Liverpool do have a number of options in the centre of midfield with Steven Gerrard, Lucas Leiva, Charlie Adam and Jordan Henderson all competing for a starting berth, while Swansea's Joe Allen has also been strongly linked with a move to Merseyside.