Liverpool hopeful of persuading Emre Can to remain at Anfield despite reported Juventus agreement

Liverpool have not given up hope of keeping hold of midfielder Emre Can beyond this summer despite reports that the Germany international has agreed a five-year deal with Italian champions Juventus.

Can is in the final knockings of his contract at Anfield and does not look close to penning fresh terms with the Reds, who are not willing to include a release clause in a prospective new contract.

Juventus, who have developed a knack for signing high quality players on free transfers in recent years - Andrea Pirlo, Dani Alves and Paul Pogba are just a few players who have been brought to Turin for little more than a sizeable signing-on fee - were aware of the former Bayer Leverkusen starlet's expiring deal last summer and saw a £22.6m bid for Can rejected by Liverpool, who remained confident of thrashing out an agreement.

The Reds have so far failed to conclude a deal with Can, who has featured heavily for Jurgen Klopp's side this season despite uncertainty over his future. But the Liverpool Echo claim that the Merseysiders still think they can persuade the German to pen fresh terms and have not been informed by Can or his agents that they have an agreement in place with Juventus, who have apparently offered a five-year deal worth £85,000-a-week.

Can could sign a pre-contract agreement with Juventus or indeed any other interested party from outside of England this month, and while Liverpool boss Klopp, who will welcome £55m midfielder Naby Keita in the summer, stated recently that he has no issues with his compatriot and is more than happy to utilise him between now and at the end of the season, that may change if he finds out that Can has signed for another club.

"For us there's no difference, as long as we don't get information that he has signed for another club there's no problem," Klopp said. "And I speak a lot to Emre, like other players too, but it's pretty rare that I speak to him about the contract situation because I've given already all the information that we can give."