Italian football journalist Gabriele Marcotti has offered Liverpool fans some hope regarding the ongoing saga around Emre Can, suggesting that the Reds may not be about to lose their influential German.
Speaking exclusively to Nina Kauser on the Euro Incision Podcast on their new Anfield Index Pro about the midfielder, Marcotti told Nina Kauser that whilst he still believes Juventus hold a certain level of interest in Can, he may no longer be a priority for them.
“There was a lot of talk about this [potential transfer] over the summer and obviously it played into the contract situation,” said Marcotti.
“Personally, I don’t like enormous squads,” he continued, eluding to Juventus already having a stacked midfield with the likes of Miralem Pjanic, Sami Khedira and Blaise Matuidi playing their trade for the Serie A side.
“Once they signed Matuidi from PSG in their minds they, not gave up on Can, but the story sort of fizzled a little.
“It could change if Marchisio’s injuries return or someone drops off in performance, but I don’t know if Can is a priority for them now.”
That will come as a boost for Liverpool as they hope to negotiate a new contract with Can, who will be able to discuss terms freely with foreign clubs on January 1st as his contract expires next summer.
Marcotti said that Juventus would of course, along with a number of clubs, still be interested in getting him on a free in the summer, but there may not be such an obvious chase of the German that we saw in the summer from Juve for a few more months.
That may give Liverpool a little more elbow room at the negotiating table, with numerous outlets having reported that a big stumbling block in negotiations is Can’s wish to have a release clause inserted into his contract, rather than a particularly large monetary dispute.
Given the way Liverpool have developed Can since his arrival from Bayer Leverkusen in 2014, it’s understandable that the Reds don’t want to endanger themselves of losing him for a cheap release clause, but surely letting him go on a free to one of Europe’s top clubs would be worse.
Juventus aren’t the only side considering his services should he become available next summer, with pressure mounting on Liverpool to get a deal done quickly, especially given the way Can performed at the end of last season to help the club back into the Champions League.
How the saga plays out remains to be seen, but Marcotti’s comments do offer hope to Liverpool fans that it isn’t over yet, the Reds still in with a shout of keeping their star German for a longer spell.
