With his contract set to expire at the end of the season, Liverpool midfielder Emre Can has been a constant source of speculation in recent months.
The 24-year-old has established himself as a key figure at Anfield since joining the Reds in 2014, making 40 or more appearances in his first three campaigns as he looks set to fall just short this time round having been sidelined by an injury in recent months.
Nevertheless, he’s undoubtedly developed his game since moving to Liverpool to emerge as a fundamental part of their progression, and so while losing him would be a major blow this summer in itself, losing him on a free would be even more of a setback for the Merseyside giants.
As noted by The Daily Mail, the German international has been heavily paired with a move to Juventus, with developments touted for next week after the Champions League final in Kiev on Saturday night as Jurgen Klopp keeps his men focused on Real Madrid for now.
Without revealing whether or not he’s confident of securing a deal, Juventus sporting director Beppe Marotta has commented on the situation and has placed a 10-day timeline on when Can’s future may well be sorted out.
“It is clear that his position is desirable for many clubs,” he is quoted as saying by Calciomercato. “I am optimistic for Juventus, we have a great chance. Within 10 days the operation can be closed, either positive or negative”.
In turn, that very much leaves the door open to a move to Turin, and it’s arguably much needed for Massimiliano Allegri to add another long-term pillar to his side in midfield.
With the likes of Blaise Matuidi, Sami Khedira and Claudio Marchisio all on the wrong side of 30, the Bianconeri will surely need to start planning for the long-term future to extend their impressive run of seven consecutive Serie A titles.
Time will tell if Can will be part of that, but with talk over his future going on for months given the uncertainty created by his contract situation, it may well come as a relief to all concerned that an answer should arrive soon on where he’ll be next season.