Jurgen Klopp hopes Emre Can signs new Liverpool deal but admits German star's contract situation "isn't perfect"
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Amid the near hysteria of Philippe Coutinho’s transfer saga, another delicate contract situation has gone largely un-noticed.
Yet if the loss of the little Brazilian would be seen as a dramatic blow to Liverpool that sends out the completely wrong message about their status and ambition, then 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 across Europe, has just a year left on his contract, with no end in sight to stuttering negotiations.
Failure to secure the 23 year-old on a new long-term deal would be seen as negligent in the extreme - especially given the fraught situation surrounding Coutinho, and what his desire to leave for Barcelona means.
(Image: Rex Features)
(Image: PA Wire)
Can is the centre of attention here in Germany as Liverpool attempt to see off the physical challenge of Hoffenheim to secure a - vital, in terms of the financial health of the club - place in the group stages of the Champions League.
And according to his manager Jurgen Klopp, that attention is something he could do without, given most of it centres on the future of the German international. 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, to be honest,” 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.
“So far there is no signing and that is the situation. We are still in talks. But it is all ok at the moment and we have to take it like this. His mind is not elsewhere.”
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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 - then the player’s position at the club is perfectly 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, then Liverpool will not let him leave under any circumstance.
They can’t afford to, not with the Coutinho situation now 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 dangerously light.
“It is an important contract for him at his age. But I am 100 per cent sure that we don’t sell the player now in this situation. Not a player from the first team line-up for sure,” the manager said.
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“He will play here for the next year that is for sure. All the rest we have to see. In Germany these kind of pressures come up one year before the contract ends. In England it is two years before.
“Last year, there was no real readiness for negotiations but this year we have talked. We want him and he also wants to stay. It is about a few little details.
“It’s not about having to make a decision about bringing in another player in the same position, the same size, the same skills. Emre is on a good way. He has really improved in a lot of parts and is a really important player for us, can play different positions.”
(Image: Rex Features)
Liverpool will wait until next summer to trigger a near £50million clause in Naby Keita’s contract to bring him to Anfield, but Klopp admitted he is still exploring the prospect of a midfield signing this summer, before the window closes.
He has been linked with a move for Nice’s highly rated Jean-Michael Serri, but with a deal for Keita still on the horizon, they are reluctant to bid the full release clause in his contract, which stands at almost £40m.
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Instead, the Reds will wait to see if Nice reach the group stage of the Champions’ League, and continue to explore other options, with Klopp admitting: “We don’t have too many midfield players in the moment who have experience. That is also the truth. Are we looking still for players? Yes,” he added.
“But we were looking for players before Adam was injured. Now he is injured, Phil is injured. So two less. It doesn’t make the situation more comfortable. You cannot be really prepared for situations like this.
“But we have time. The 31st? Yes, I know. Everything can happen. I’m not sure that they will happen. If I were sure, they will probably already be in.”