Juventus should complete signing of Liverpool midfielder Emre Can, says Alex Manninger

Former Liverpool goalkeeper Alex Manninger has urged Juventus to sign Emre Can when his contract expires next summer, as the Italian champions would not be "making a mistake" if they decided to pry the midfielder away from Merseyside.

Can, 23, has less than one year left on his contract with Jurgen Klopp's men and seems no closer to penning fresh terms with the Reds, who are hoping to kickstart their season against Manchester United on Saturday (14 September).

The Germany international could well start for Liverpool against their arch-rivals at Anfield, but Manninger, who was the Reds' third-choice goalkeeper last season, thinks his former teammate's future may lie elsewhere and would flourish with Juve, who are facing a fight to keep their Serie A crown away from Napoli.

"He [Can] is young and is a player I've always admired," Manninger told ilbianconero. "He is still young but is already very strong. He plays like a veteran. He knows how to defend and how to score goals.

"Can is a winner and Juventus will make no mistake if they sign him. He has great charisma and never wants to lose. He has Turkish blood but German technique."

The rumours surrounding Can and a move to Juventus have been present for a number of weeks, and the former Bayer Leverkusen star refused to dispel the rumours linking him with an exit. Instead of calming speculation, Can recently saw fit to the fuel the flames around his future and spoke of his "respect" for all of Europe's top side and leagues, though his immediate focus is on helping Liverpool rectify their stuttering form against United, who have already scored 30 goals this season.

"It's always an honour to receive an offer from such a renowned club, but currently I am only focused on the season with Liverpool. My agent takes care of the rest." said Can.

"The Premier League is just a really cool league, the most interesting in the world, but you must always respect other big clubs and leagues."