Liverpool were able to bring in 5 players in the transfer window. Two look to earn time in the central midfield although Naby Keita won't join the Reds until summer 2018. Still, the addition of Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, while celebrated by supporters, may lead to the departure of Emre Can.
If Can does leave the club, it would be a massive blow to Liverpool. Emre Can has finally been injury free for some time and he has been in tremendous form. Liverpool have, for some time now, been attempting to have Can commit to the club by signing a new contract. It is well known that Juventus would like to bring the German to the Serie A club. In fact, there was interest in this summer transfer market from Juventus but Liverpool would not sell.
However, Can is playing the season in the final year of his contract. If Liverpool did not have him in their future plans, this past transfer window would have been the ideal to sell as now his value in a transfer goes down. A team will not pay a lot in a transfer fee to secure Can during the winter market when they could wait a few more months and sign him for free.
But, Liverpool are keen on keeping him. The problem is, to date, Emre Can has refused to sign a new deal. Back in March, Liverpool had been attempting to sign Emre to a new deal. At the time, Emre said, "I am happy at Liverpool. You never know what will happen in football but I am happy here and I am still contracted here. Everything is fine." However, he couldn't have been too happy as he continued to refuse to sign a new deal. This frustrated Klopp. The normally jovial manager was asked about Can's contract and if not signing him meant he would be sold. "We are still in talks" the manager said. "Do I think it is too cool that we didn't fix it so far? No." Klopp stated firmly that Can would not be sold, and he was not. But, Klopp admitted "He will play here for the next year. All the rest, we have to see." Not very promising from the manager.
So, what is the hesitation from Can? Reports are it is not about wages or any personal issues with the club or teammates. However, Can may not agree with how he had been used in the past, claiming that when he is not in a more defensive midfield role he needs to sprint too much and hinting that that was a key factor in his injury issues. One would think though if that were the stumbling block a simple conversation and commitment from Klopp would appease the German. But yet a contract has still not been signed.
Does Klopp see the writing on the wall? Is that a key reason for bringing in Oxlade-Chamberlain and Keita? Liverpool remains linked to Thomas Lemar with reports they may renew their pursuit in the winter market. How do the additions and interest in more midfielders factor into Can's thinking?
It seems after the market that Can is more and more likely to leave Liverpool. In fact, the latest reports indicate he is expected to sign a pre-contract agreement to join Juventus in January, this according to Corriere dello Sport. You never want to have talented players leave your club, which is why Klopp was adamant that Coutinho and Can would not be sold. However, you also don't want to lose them for nothing. If Can signs the pre-contract agreement and joins Juventus after the season, that is exactly what will happen. And it appears that Klopp and Liverpool may understand that this is becoming more likely to occur and have reacted accordingly.
Every action has a reaction and it appears Emre Can's refusal to sign a new contract led to Klopp bringing in depth at the position in preparation for Can's departure.