Emre Can will join Liverpool ahead of the new season, after the Merseyside club met the £9.7million release clause in his contract.
An unexpected second place finish in the Premier League last term guarantees a return to the UEFA Champions League for the Reds, and manager Brendan Rodgers has wasted little time in adding to the squad of players at his disposal. Rickie Lambert has already joined for £4million, and now German Under-21 international Can is set to follow suit.
Liverpool have been linked with the Bayer Leverkusen midfielder for some weeks, aware that the player has a release clause of £9.7million in his contract. Indeed, the transfer may have been wrapped up last month had there not been complications for Bayern Munich, his former club, who inserted a buy-back option when selling him for £4.4million last summer.
It is understood that the Bundesliga giants will receive a compensation figure of £1.1million from the transfer, which will be rubberstamped when the window officially opens on 1 July. The 20-year-old has already agreed terms and signed a contract with the Anfield club, who are unlikely to have concluded their summer business just yet.
Adam Lallana could yet follow his former Southampton pal Lambert to the red half of Merseyside, although the reported asking price of at least £25million could be a stumbling block. The Mirror claims Rodgers could instead turn his attention to 20-year-old Lazar Markovic, of Portuguese giants Benfica, who would be a cheaper option.
Fabio Borini’s future at Liverpool, meanwhile, remains uncertain. The Italian impressed whilst on loan at Sunderland last season, and has been linked with a permanent switch to Wearside. But his agent, Marco Di Marchi, said: “After his holidays, he will go back to Liverpool to prepare for the new season wearing the shirt of this historic club. He wants to compete with everyone and be an extra resource for the coach and the team.”
