Liverpool midfielder Emre Can has a '60-80%' chance of joining Juventus, says Oliver Bierhoff

Liverpool midfielder Emre Can is very likely to join Juventus in the summer according to Germany legend Oliver Bierhoff, who does not think Barcelona target Leon Goretzka will follow his compatriot to Turin at the end of the season.

Can has been linked with a move to Juventus for a number of months and is destined to leave Anfield having failed to agree a new contract with the Reds, who were not willing to insert a release clause into a proposed deal.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp still remains hopeful of thrashing out an agreement with Can, but Germany general manager Bierhoff thinks there is a "60-80%" chance that the midfielder will end up signing for Juventus, who could try and seal a pre-contract agreement with the 23-year-old in January.

Juve have made no secret of their interest in Can, and Bianconeri chief Beppe Marotta also told of the club's desire to snatch Schalke star Goretzka from under the noses of Barcelona, who seem to be the frontrunners in the race for the 22-year-old.

Marotta said a deal for Goretzka, who has reportedly already agreed terms with Barcelona, will be down to the "will" of the player but Bierhoff does not think the midfielder, who has also been linked with Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal, will opt for a move to Italy.

"We're talking about two important players [in Can and Goretzka]," Bierhoff was quoted as saying by Football Italia. "They'll have so many options for the future, they'll be personal choices. At the moment England is the top for a player, and after that there's the lure of the powerful Spanish clubs.

"Emre Can and Goretzka would definitely be successful in Serie A too. Unless Inter return to the top though, if one of these players were to choose Italy now it would only be for Juventus.

"There's not much chance for Goretzka, maybe only 20 per cent. I think there's a lot more for Emre Can, I'd say 60-80 percent."

Can joined Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2014 and has gone on to make 147 appearances, scoring 11 goals. Klopp, who will welcome Naby Keita from RB Leipzig in the summer, will no doubt be disappointed to lose the former Bayern Munich youth star but is still prepared to utilise his talents between now and the end of the season and is likely to select the wantaway midfielder for his side's clash with Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday [2 December].