Report: Juventus monitoring Emre Can’s contract situation

Over the past half-decade or so, Beppe Marotta has found ways to do the best he can with limited resources. Sometimes the best way for him to do this is to take advantage of certain contract situations. In some occasions players decide not to renew their contract and are available on a free-transfer, such as Andrea Pirlo, Dani Alves, Sami Khedira, Neto, Kingsley Coman, Fernando Llorente, Paul pogba, and of course Lucio. Other times, Beppe will use the status of having only a year remaining on their contract as leverage in negotiations which is seen with transfers such as Carlos Tevez, Paulo Dybala, and Alex Sandro.

All this being said, it should not come as a huge surprise that La Gazetta Dello Sport are reporting that Juventus are monitoring Emre Can’s contract situation at Liverpool. On the surface, this is a move that would make a lot of sense for both parties. Emre Can is a player who has played as both a defensive midfielder, and traditional central midfielder, while even slotting in at central defense from time to time, though he hasn’t done that over a long period of time in a few years.

Emre Can made the move to Liverpool in the Summer of 2014 after spending three years in Bayern’s youth system, then a year at Bayer Leverkusen. He is only 23 years old, but has spent the last three seasons as a staple in Liverpool’s midfield (and backline) playing over 2000 league minutes in every season, while also logging over 1000 minutes in the Europa League in 2015/16. This past year saw him tally 5 league goals, which could partially be due to a slightly more advanced midfield role.

Juventus’ midfield is currently not what it once was, where it could have been argued to be the best in Europe. With plenty of reported focus going towards adding wingers to the squad, it seems like Beppe hasn’t forgotten that the middle of the park could also use some work. Can is a player who would be useful in almost any formation that Juventus lined up in over the past year, and would be a large improvement over many depth players. Whether he views Can as a potential free transfer next summer, or cut-price player this summer remains to be seen.

Liverpool will almost certainly prefer to keep the German midfielder, but if a contract cannot be agreed upon and Can wants to move on (perhaps to a side in the Champions League), then Beppe will almost certainly be looking to take advantage of the situation. The issue here could come in the form of wages, as Can is reportedly seeking £100,000 per week from Liverpool, which would put him near the top earners at Juventus.

Time will tell how serious Juventus’ interests are in Emre Can, but unless he renews his contract (which is a serious possibility), this more than likely will not be the last we hear about Emre Can.