Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is resigned to the fact that midfield mainstay Emre Can would run down his contract at the club.
The German midfielder is out of contract with the Merseysiders at the end of the season and the manager has accepted that he would leave the club on a free transfer. However, he is happy as long as the player continues to behave in a professional manner.
Can has been linked with a move away from Anfield for a long time now and the rumours have only intensified ever since he entered the final six months of his deal earlier this month.
Reigning Serie A champions Juventus have been mooted as the most likely destination for the player and the Bianconeri have gone public with their interest in signing Can. They even made an attempt to sign the German international in the summer but were rebuffed by Liverpool.
There were reports of the Italian giants making another move for Can in the January transfer window but Klopp has dismissed the chances of him leaving in January, even if that would mean us losing the player for free at the end of the season.
“He’ll stay beyond the winter,” Klopp told DAZN (h/t Goal). “Emre is still a young lad but he has developed into a great player and is very important for us.
“Sometimes a player just wants to sit out his contract. That’s not cool for the club, but there are moments in which you have to accept it.
“And as long as the player behaves like Emre does, then I have absolutely nothing to complain about. He gives everything he has and identifies with the club.”
Can joined Liverpool from German side Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2014 and has achieved a tremendous amount of progress under the guidance of the club ever since the former Borussia Dortmund manager took charge of the club.
Till date, the 24-year old has gone on to make 158 appearances for the Reds, scoring 12 goals and registering 10 assists in the process. In the ongoing campaign, Can has featured on 29 occasions across all competitions, in which he has found the back of the net 4 times.
Yes, we are getting Naby Keita from RB Leipzig in the summer but Can has grown into an important player at the club and if he does end up leaving in the summer, his absence would be felt.
