“I HAVE the self-confidence to say that my qualities are sufficient to play for very big club next season.”
That was what Emre Can had to say last week when talking about his future with German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung.
It was hardly music to Liverpool fans’ ears and sounded like he was pushing for a move away from Anfield.
His contract runs out in June but where does the 24-year-old’s future lie? We asked our friends at Football Whispers.
Can has reportedly attracted interest from Juventus, Manchester City and Bayern Munich as his time at Anfield appears to be drawing to a close.
He doesn’t seem to be ruling anything out, adding in that Suddeutsche Zeitung interview: “I’m doing great in England and the Spanish league is also attractive.
“The same applies to Germany, where tactics are concerned, while Italian club football has recently caught up.
“Incidentally, the same applies to France, this league has now established itself as one of the best in Europe.
CAN WE TALK? Emre Can discusses Liverpool future as Man City, Juventus and Bayern Munich eye free transfer
“Therefore I do not want to exclude anything because I do not know what I will do from the summer.”
Despite that, back in January, it looked like he would be signing with the Serie A champions.
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Sky Italia claimed he had reached a pre-contract agreement to join the Bianconeri at the end of the season.
When a player enters into the final six months of their contract, they are free to negotiate a free transfer with a foreign club.
With Can in that period of his deal at Liverpool, he could freely speak to Juventus.
But nothing has been announced officially, and while the Italians are still interested in the German midfielder, there is no certainty over his potential move to Turin.
In fact, Juventus have reportedly started eyeing up other midfield options, with Tuttosport claiming they are looking at Adrien Rabiot, Mousa Dembele, Aaron Ramsey, Bryan Cristante and Lorenzo Pellegrini.
Their interest in Ramsey was confirmed by SunSport this week.
Massimilliano Allegri’s side see the £35million-rated Arsenal midfielder as the ideal partner to Can in the middle of the pitch.
But with other names on their radar too, it looks like they are considering alternatives to the Liverpool midfielder, with the deal seemingly further from completion than once thought.
And with Juventus failing to seal a deal for Can, it has led to speculation that he could join another club.
Bayern Munich have also been linked and the German international has history at the Allianz Arena.
He joined their academy system in 2009 and graduated through the ranks before making his senior debut in 2012.
Can featured just seven times for Bayern’s first team before joining Bayer Leverkusen in 2013.
He has no regrets about his time in Munich, however, telling Sport1 earlier this month: “Today you can see it was the right decision.
“At that time it was like this: Pep Guardiola came, and I had a good pre-season under him. Then we had a very, very honest conversation.
“I was very young and it was important for me to play a lot. He told me honestly: ‘I cannot guarantee you now that you will play every week’.
“Then I saw the opportunity in Leverkusen. They also played in the Champions League. For many it was a step backwards.
“But for me it was a step forward because I always played in Leverkusen. Today you can see it has paid off.”
The two parties may feel they have unfinished business and that could see him return to Germany this summer.
But perhaps the reason the Liverpool man hasn’t announced anything is because he is staying in England.
He is free to speak to foreign clubs, but not other domestic sides, so Can cannot officially talk to another Premier League team about his future.
So with Manchester City interested, he may be waiting until the end of the season to see what they have to offer him.
After previously working with Guardiola, albeit for a brief amount of time, it is clear he respects the Catalan coach.
Much like with Bayern Munich, Can may feel his story with the former Barcelona boss isn’t over.
What’s more, if he wants to join a ‘very big club’, there aren’t too many bigger than City in England at the moment.
They will be crowned Premier League champions unless they have a massive collapse, and given they have only lost one game this season, that is very unlikely.
They have already won the League Cup and are the second favourites with most bookmakers to win the Champions League, after Barcelona.
Guardiola has made them the dominant club in England, just like he did with Barca in Spain and Bayern Munich in Germany.
If Can wants to taste success in this country, he may be best making the switch from Liverpool to Manchester.
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Of course, there is a chance, a small one admittedly, that he will not leave Anfield.
The German wouldn’t be the first player to decide their future was best served by staying put instead of walking away.
Reds fans only need to look at Can’s compatriot Mesut Ozil at Arsenal to gain a bit of hope.
It looked like the playmaker was leaving the Emirates when his contract was set to expire at the end of the season.
But in February he penned a new deal and committed himself to the Gunners until 2021.
Speaking in January, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp admitted that could also be the case with Can.
“We have to respect his contract is ending and that is how it is,” he said.
“I’ve said it a few times and I’ll say it again: it is our job to make this club as exciting as possible.
“He is also allowed to sign a contract [with Liverpool] in May as a player who is still already here. I have no problem with that.
“As long as Emre doesn’t give me one sign his mind is somewhere else I don’t have to talk about this, it is a normal thing in football.”
Despite his contract situation, Can has still been used by Klopp, featuring in the Reds’ last five games in all competitions.
It is obvious the Liverpool boss doesn’t think there is a problem with his attitude – he wouldn’t be playing otherwise – and would be happy to have him stay.
Can could be focusing on giving his all on the pitch to help Liverpool finish the season as well as they can, rather than getting distracted by off-the-pitch issues, before deciding whether or not he wants to stay at Anfield.
If they can win the Champions League, and they are currently still in the competition at the quarter-final stage, it would be hard for the 24-year-old to walk away from the European champions.
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