The impasse regarding Emre Can’s contract extension keeps on taking fresh twists and turns. While the German is in his final 12 months as a Liverpool player, we are willing to keep him tied post 2018. But the former Bayer Leverkusen man wants some sort of escape clause in his new deal.

We could lose Can on a free transfer next summer, with Juventus leading the race to sign him. But the discussions with the player and his agents have been going on for more than 12 months, according to the Daily Mail.

The report further claims that Can is asking for around £100,000 per week, which he should get, given his stellar contribution towards the end of last season and the start of this one. However, he also wants a release clause in his new contract.

We do not want to insert any such clause in his contract, similar to the deal Philippe Coutinho signed with us in January. Can might be a little worried that signing a deal without a release clause would ensure we would not sell a player unless we want to, which is how it should be for most cases.

Coutinho, for all his tantrums and a transfer request, was not allowed to leave the club. The Brazilian is expected to come back into the Liverpool team sometime in the next few weeks, after missing every game we have played since the beginning of the season.

Can reportedly earns only £35,000-a-week and it does make sense that he wants a better pay package for his services to us. But giving him a release clause might just play into the hands of other teams that are chasing him. We could secure his services by including a ridiculous price-tag but Can and his team would not accept such a proposal.

The report claims that Jurgen Klopp is open to playing Can this season and let his contract run out as we already have signed Naby Keita from RB Leipzig for next season.

What might be a good swap deal in effect, could turn even better if we keep hold of Can, who has started this season on fire. We don’t have a lot of players who can do the job that the German does and keeping him in the side makes more sense than letting him go.

Can is at the club where he will get better, like he has under Klopp, and leaving now could turn out to be a disaster for him. Klopp has mostly done good things for us since he has arrived and hopefully, he will clear this mess out and get Can to sign a new deal.

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