Jurgen Klopp says Liverpool “feel good and confident” over talks with Emre Can over an extension to the midfielder’s contract.
The 23-year-old has one year left on his current deal with the Reds, and has been regularly linked with a move to Serie A giants Juventus.
There have been suggestions that Can has already agreed a new contract, but Klopp has told the Liverpool Echo that this is not the case.
Instead, the German provided an update on talks with his compatriot, with Liverpool “confident” an agreement will be reached in the near future.
And Klopp insisted Can would not be sold, stressing that the No. 23 is an important first-team player, and a key part of his plans on Merseyside.
“You can imagine we’re involved in talks and we all feel good and confident in this moment,” he said.
“That means they’re not the worst talks but until anything is done or signed there’s nothing to say.
“Emre is a very important player for us. We don’t want to sell or lose players who are in our first line up or close to it.
“Emre is certainly one of them. We want to keep him and we’re having good talks.”
Can returned to Melwood on Saturday to begin pre-season preparations, undergoing medical tests on his first day before linking up with the likes of Lazar Markovic and Sadio Mane for training on Sunday.
He will be joined by the rest of the Liverpool squad next week, with Klopp’s group for the tour of Hong Kong flying back on Saturday evening.
Having missed the first four games of pre-season, Can will be left to catch up both in terms of fitness and his output on the field, as has been the case every summer since he joined in 2014.
Klopp will ease Can back into his side, with the Reds’ next clash coming away to Hertha Berlin on July 29, before taking part in the Audi Cup at Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena.
It is likely that Can will play 45 minutes against Hertha, and can hope for more regular game time by the end of pre-season, when Liverpool face off against Athletic Bilbao in Dublin.
The hope is that, by that stage, the midfielder will be tied to a new long-term contract.
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