Bayern Hijack? Liverpool’s €12m Midfielder Deal In Doubt

As we approach the opening of the summer window clubs will be intensifying their efforts in the transfer market so we’ll bring you all the latest news and gossip. Today, Liverpool’s move for Emre Can is in doubt.

Liverpool’s proposed €12m move for Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Emre Can is in doubt after it emerged that Bayern Munich have a first option buy-back clause inserted into the players contract, according to reports today.

Can has just enjoyed an excellent season at Leverkusen following his move from Bayern last summer, making 39 appearances to help the club to a top four finish in the Bundesliga table.

Widespread reports on Sunday suggested that Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers has been scouting Can throughout the season and was now closing in on a deal after learning he had a release clause that could be triggered if a club met his  €12m (£10m) valuation.

The Express cited reports in Germany that claimed it was virtually a ‘done deal’ with the 20-year-old keen to snub interest from Inter Milan to make the move to Merseyside, and the Reds are believed to be hopeful their close relationship with the players agent – who helped negotiate deals to bring Nuri Sahin and Samed Yesil to the club – would help seal the deal.

However, it’s emerged today that Bayern Munich have a first option buy back clause meaning they have first refusal to buy the midfielder back at a set price. Should the German giants decide to activate that clause, there is little Liverpool could do to prevent Can heading back to the Allianz Arena should the player be up for returning to his former club.

German based journalist Raphael Honigstein claims the situation is complicated and presents Leverkusen with a complex legal problem, as they have one contract with Bayern Munich where Pep Guardiola’s clubs have a buy-back option, but a second contract with the player which includes a release clause which Liverpool can activate.

Can: situation complicated. He has a release clause. But Bayern also have an option to buy him back. Leverkusen with a huge legal problem(1)

— Raphael Honigstein (@honigstein) May 19, 2014

Release clause should not have been inserted. So far, no contact between Leverkusen and Bayern. Deal hangs in the balance (2)

— Raphael Honigstein (@honigstein) May 19, 2014

Bayern option is active throughout, irrespective of other interest. (But staggered buy-back fee) (3)

— Raphael Honigstein (@honigstein) May 19, 2014

Last Can tweet: very curious scenario. Two conflicting contracts. One between player and Leverkusen, other one between Bayern and Leverkusen

— Raphael Honigstein (@honigstein) May 19, 2014

It’s not yet clear how this is going to play out from here but Liverpool will be hoping the situation will be made a whole lot simpler by Bayern simply confirming they are not interested in buying Can back, as this would allow them to press ahead and complete their deal. Whether that’s going to be the case remains to be seen, but Bayern do have a tendency to buy-up all the young German talent and it’s not often they allow one to leave the country without a fight.

READ MORE –> Liverpool transfer news

Can is a German Under-21 international who’s known to have an incredible engine and much like Jordan Henderson, he’s a box-to-box midfielder who just doesn’t seem to stop running during games. In this respect, he sounds like he’d be the perfect competition for Hendo as he’d fit seamlessly into their system when required.