Reds facing a fight to finally get Emre deal in the Can
AMID the near hysteria of Philippe Coutinho’s transfer saga, another delicate contract situation has gone largely unnoticed. Yet if the loss of the little Brazilian would be seen as a dramatic blow to Liverpool that sends out the wrong message about their status and ambition, so too would any sale of Emre Can. Somehow, the young midfielder who is seen as the future of the German team and one of the most promising players in his position in Europe, has just a year left on his contract, with no end in sight to stuttering negotiations. Failure to secure Can, 23, on a new long-term deal would be seen as negligent in the extreme – especially given the fraught situation sur- rounding Coutinho, and what his desire to leave for Barcelona means.
Can is the centre of attention here in Germany as Liverpool attempt to see off the physical challenge of Hoffenheim to secure a place in the Champions League group stages.
And according to boss Jurgen Klopp, that attention is something he could do without, given most of it centres on the future of the German international (right).
For Klopp, getting to under 12 months is a mistake, even if it is an understandable one in his eyes.
“Do I think it is too cool that we didn’t fix it so far? No,” he said. “The situation is not perfect, I would prefer that he has already signed, but I am still positive we can find the right solution.
“We are still in talks. But it is all OK. His mind is not elsewhere.” For Klopp, even if the contract situation is complicated, with Can asking for the money to reflect his status as a coming man in European football, the player’s position at the club is simple. Even if he doesn’t sign an extension and goes into the final year of his deal with the prospect of leaving on a free next summer, Liverpool will not let him leave under any circumstance. They can’t afford to, not with the Coutinho situation simmering so dangerously. In fact, the manager believes that far from losing two of the best midfielders in the world, he has to add to an area where Liverpool are light. “It is an