Where will Emre Can be playing next season?

Since it was reported last season that Emre Can turned down a new deal at Liverpool leaving him with just 1 year left on his contract, there has been constant speculation as to where he will be playing his football next season. It was widely speculated that in January he was going to sign a deal to join Italian giants Juventus however that seems to have hit a stumbling block too meaning the saga has continued and seems set to continue for a little while longer until his contract runs down and he becomes a free agent.

With Liverpool enjoying a very good season sitting 3rd in the Premier League. As well as being in the semi finals of the Champions League many have asked 'why anyone would even want to leave?' The reports from within the club have been that Can would actually like to stay, the stumbling block on him signing a new deal with the club is down to the insistence of a buy-out clause in his new contract. Something Liverpool are adamant they don't want to include.

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Can arrived at Liverpool during Brendan Rodgers reign as manager 4 years ago and has since played over 100 games for the club and became a full German international with 20 caps. While he is seen mainly as a defensive player he has also contributed 10 goals including 4 this season as well as 4 assists. For a player with such experience he is still young at just 24 years old and while he is currently sidelined with a back injury has usually been a reliable player for Liverpool especially over the festive period this season where Liverpool played 4 games within the space of 11 days. Can played all 4 of those games and put in a fantastic performance in each of them.

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The issue of Can seems to have Liverpool fans split all over the spectrum. Some rate him highly while others don't and feel he is far too inconsistent. I personally am a big fan of Can and was even before he signed for Liverpool. Some Liverpool fans who say they won't mind seeing him leave point at the signing of Naby Kieta. They feel he is a ready made replacement for Can who's better all round and much more consistent. While I am excited by Kieta joining Liverpool I don't see his best role being the defensive midfield role and actually believe the pair could form an amazing partnership that would give opposing teams nightmares.

So should Liverpool just give him what he wants and include a buy out clause in his contract? After all even if they do and someone activates it, it's better to get a transfer fee for him than allow him to leave for free surely?

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Well not exactly. Liverpool's refusal is about more than just Emre Can. It's a club policy not to include such clauses within players contracts and if they cave and allow Can to have one then every player who negotiates their next deal will insist on one too. This could leave the club in a position where they are vulnerable to losing their star players for less than they are worth and while it may save them from losing Can for nothing now it could cost them dearly in the future.

The transfer market seems to only be going in one direction and that's up! What may represent a tempting offer if it was bid for the player today may seem like a bargain price for the same player within 2 or 3 seasons. You wouldn't tell someone they could buy your house now for slightly above the current market price if it was forecast to be worth triple the current value in a couple of years would you?

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Juventus are said to have given Can an ultimatum of 10 days to make up his mind or they would move on. That was 10 days ago and nothing has happened between the two. Yesterday there were reports that Real Madrid may be interested in acquiring his services and today I have seen reports Arsenal are interested too. While I am not sure how this will all play out I hold out hope that Emre will decide to stay, for a long time I have seen him as potentially being a future captain and believe Liverpool will have to spend big if he does leave to bring in a player capable of filling his shoes.

Let me know your opinions on Can as a player and where you think he will be playing next season and please upvote and follow me for more sports posts if you enjoyed this. Thank you.