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Having triggered Emre Can's £10M buyout at the beginning of June and agreed to personal terms with the German youth international, today the paperwork cleared allowing Liverpool to belatedly announce their third signing of the summer. Can arrives from Bayer Leverkusen a year after he moved there from Bayern Munich, with Liverpool exploiting a contractual loophole that allowed them to buy him out of his contract a year before a Bayern buyback option would have come into effect.
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"It was an easy decision for me to sign with Liverpool as I had a very good chat with the manager, which clearly showed that the club and he wanted to sign me," said Can in his first interview as a Liverpool player. "This was important for me. I can say it was an easy decision for me. I believe this season the team finished second in the league, so I want to be a Premier League champion next season."
Can is a versatile, high-energy midfielder who is also capable of filling in at left back. Strong and athletic, Can tends to play a simple passing game focused on ball retention, though he isn't afraid to dribble at the defence if they back off him. He's strong without the ball, a hard but not reckless tackler, and for many fans the easy comparison to Can will be a more defensive Jordan Henderson—a smart, high energy, tactically sound player with massive upside.
"Emre is an exciting young talent and I'm delighted he's chosen Liverpool for the next phase of his development and growth as a player," said Brendan Rodgers. "We have tracked his progress for some time and I have been impressed with his attitude and qualities when I have seen him play both in the Bundesliga and the Champions League. He has many of the attributes we look for—charisma on the football pitch and courage to want the ball and make things happen."
Following the unveilings of Rickie Lambert and Adam Lallana, Can becomes the club's third officially completed signing of the summer.
