There is plenty of transfer business being discussed in the press even with a few days until the transfer window officially reopens. Chelsea are stealing much of the limelight with their pursuit of Barcelona's Cesc Fabregas, but Liverpool yesterday agreed a deal in principle to sign Emre Can from Bayer Leverkusen.
At only 20, Can is a prospect for the future who also has Champions League experience under his belt. With the fee thought to be around £10m should Liverpool sign him, it could be a very shrewd piece of business indeed. But who is Can, and what might he be able to bring to Brendan Rodgers's team?
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One of the most important things to note is that Can has spent time in the Bayern Munich youth academy and was very highly rated by the club's coaches, which means that he possesses an excellent level of technical ability and a strong footballing brain.
When he was sold to Bayer Leverkusen in 2013, the deal included a buy-back clause, which could have seen him return to his old side should he impress. He did impress, but instead now looks set to join Liverpool as the Premier League club, who were thought to be tracking him for a while, have swooped.
What has made Can so highly rated in his homeland is firstly his ability with the ball at his feet, and secondly the versatility that became clear during last season with Bayer. Although his best position is in the centre of a midfield three, he showed that he can fill in at left-back as his side went through something of an injury crisis. He is not disciplined enough to be a regular in that position, but then Liverpool are not buying him to play there.
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His passing and dribbling will be what has attracted him to the Reds. Last season Rodgers's side showed an aggressive attacking game, full of short, sharp passing and plenty of movement into space. When this was combined with the likes of Luis Suarez and Raheem Sterling, who have the ability to take players on, not many sides were able to keep a clean sheet against them.
Can has a sharp turning circle, two strong feet - although he is naturally left-footed - and wants to be the midfield driving force even at his young age. There is definitely a gap in the midfield squad for such a player who can drop a shoulder to create space and then pick out an opponent with one angled ball. They have passers - Jordan Henderson and Joe Allen - but Can is a different, more direct option in the middle.
In the long-term, Can could very well be looked at as the replacement for captain Steven Gerrard in the middle. He has played in a deeper midfield position plenty of times throughout his career and has the positional sense to play there as well as the strength, but at this stage in his career his dribbling and pace on the break make him much more useful as a strictly attacking option. Liverpool's squad will certainly be better off for his presence.
