Liverpool must find a way of keeping their best players as Emre Can considers free transfer, admits Jürgen Klopp

Can is out of contract in the summer and could follow Philippe Coutinho out of the Anfield exit if he decides to leave Liverpool

(Getty)

Jürgen Klopp is doing all he can to make Liverpool a club that is difficult for players to leave, even though he admits that unwanted departures can and probably will still happen.

Having conceded defeat in their attempts to prevent Philippe Coutinho’s £142m move to Barcelona earlier this month, Liverpool could lose Emre Can for significantly less in the summer when the midfielder’s current contract expires.

Can, who has attracted high-profile interest from Juventus, will become a free agent at the end of the season and is yet to agree to renewed terms despite a year-and-a-half of talks.

It is understood that Liverpool are reluctant to grant the 24-year-old midfielder a buy-out clause and thereby set a precedent for future negotiations with other squad members.

Even so, after his impressive showing in the 4-3 defeat of leaders Manchester City, Can said that he is yet to make a final decision on his future and suggested he could yet stay at Anfield.

Can is out of contract in the summer (Getty)

“He is here in the moment and that is the most important thing,” Klopp said regarding Can on Friday, adding: “We have to create a situation where players want to stay.”

“That's all we can as a club, as a team and me as a manager and we try to do that with the players we want to keep. It is not fair to say there are some players we will sell in the summer or whatever. It is part of business. For me, there is no problem.

“We will see what happens. He didn’t sign a new contract for us yet otherwise we would have informed you.”

Klopp has repeatedly spoken about how club’s best hopes of keeping top players lie in success on the pitch, but the club’s upward trajectory is yet to convince Can to commit.

Klopp does not yet know if Can will leave the club (Getty)

When asked whether he believed Can would be making a ‘big’ decision if he chose to walk away on a free transfer, Klopp conceded that if a player truly wants to leave, little can be done to stop them.

“I don’t know whether it is [a big decision] or not, but there are other places with football clubs as well. We cannot ignore that,” he admitted.

“In this age group maybe not all of them are one team players, or one club players, and by the way you only want that with the good players. Maybe another player who wants to stay all his life, people would say, ‘Why are you still here?’”

The Liverpool manager reiterated: “We have to make it as difficult, let me say it like this, for them to want to leave, but it still can, and probably will, happen.”