Reports: Liverpool star to snub new contract and join Juventus

What's the story?

Emre Can arrived at Anfield three seasons ago, and has since become a regular feature in the Liverpool side. The German has made a name for himself as a reliable midfielder in the Premier League.

However, reports from the Daily Star suggest that Can is reportedly set to snub a new Liverpool contract, in favour of a move to Serie A giants Juventus.

Juventus' manager, Massimiliano Allegri, is understood to be eyeing Can as a replacement for Mario Lemina, who has completed a move to English side Southampton

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The 23-year-old is now entering the much-feared last-year on his contract and the Liverpool hierarchy have been put on red alert, with the midfielder allegedly refusing to pen a new deal.

Juventus are said to be leading the race for the versatile footballer, who can also play in defence when required and makes for a prized asset in Jurgen Klopp's promising collection.

The heart of the matter

Liverpool have been involved in an intense game of tug-of-war with Spanish giants Barcelona over Brazilian midfielder Philippe Coutinho and Klopp seems to be holding on to the 25-year-old for dear life.

Tipped to lose the battle to the Catalans, the German manager will face an uphill task of replacing the versatile star, while keeping the rest of the team together.

Should Coutinho leave, which looks like just a matter of time, Liverpool will rely heavily on Emre Can and will hope to change the midfielder's mind about an extended stay.

Klopp has completely integrated Can into the first team, with the German international making 129 appearances since his arrival from Bayer Leverkusen for a £9.75 million figure.

Having failed to recruit long-term target Naby Keita from RB Leipzig, Klopp will be wary of losing his main players and will pull out all the stops in a bid to retain Can.

With just three weeks left until the end of the transfer window, if not for a change of mind, Can could possibly be sold off, with the alternative being a free departure next summer when his contract expires, an only bigger nightmare for Klopp.

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Author's take

Juventus have had a productive summer transfer window, with the purchases of Federico Bernadeschi, Medhi Benatia and Juan Cuadrado among others.

The arrival of Can will drastically enhance the Serie A champions' pedigree and transform them into an even more menacing European superpower.

Liverpool can be expected to go all out to keep Can, as the midfielder is a crucial piece in Jurgen Klopp's imminent title challenge in the 2017-18 English Premier League which gets underway this weekend.