Liverpool are close to sealing a £10million deal for rising German star Emre Can. The Reds are desperate to complete the signing as quickly as possible to stop Bayern Munich from getting involved in the action. Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers is a big admirer of the 20-year-old starlet, who has captained his country at every level from U15s to U21s. Can can play in every midfield position and can even play at centre-half or left-back.
Can has been labelled as one of the most promising players after a good season at Bayer Leverkusen. Although the deal seems to be in Liverpool’s favour, Bayern Munich have a buy-back clause which was part of the £4.5 million deal that saw Can switch from Bayern Munich to Bayer Leverkusen last summer. The good news however for The Reds, is that the clause cannot be activated until 2015, which means Liverpool can get their man without any interruption, especially as he has an automatic £10 million release clause as part of his contract.
The sporting director of Bayer Leverkusen, Rudi Voller, explained last night that this was the reason Bayern Munich wanted him to stay for another year. Voller stated: “It is clear that Emre now has a clause in his contract, and it would be lucrative business for us, but that is not the sticking point – we feel he could do well for another year with us. Of course I spoke with Karl-Heinz Rummenigge [of Bayern Munich] on the subject. They think that for Emre’s development another season at Leverkusen would be just right.”
Other good news for Liverpool regarding the transfer is that Rodgers has a good relationship with the player’s owner, ISM, and they are willing to activate the release clause in the player’s contract. German news has reported that the transfer was close, but Bayer Leverkusen are doing everything in their power to keep the U21 star. Liverpool are hoping to finalise the deal within the next fortnight, to cut off any chance of Bayern Munich prompting the player to return to the Allianz Arena.
By Ollie Carroll
Twitter: @OllieCarroll99
Instagram: @olliechelseafc
