OPINION
It was always about the money, Emre, wasn’t it?
Whatever the Germany international’s protestations to the contrary – he yearned after the sporting challenge, the chance to live in another country and thrive in a new environment – his exit from Liverpool always seemed about the cash he could pocket.
Juventus’ statement on their official website announcing the signing of the 24-year-old on a four-year contract after passing a medical in Turin pretty much confirmed that.
“Emre Can has signed with the Bianconeri to officially join the club on July 1 2018 on a four-year deal,” the statement read.
“As a result of the signature of the agreement, Juventus will incur additional costs of 16 million euros (£14million) to be paid over the next two financial years.”
The £14million trousered by Can is effectively a signing-on fee, or a sweetener to induce him to reject a series of contract offers from Liverpool to move to the Serie A giants.
Signing-on fees are commonplace when it comes to big-name players, and can be especially lucrative for those who have run down their contracts and are free agents.
Can found himself in that position and was able to command what, even in the cash-crazy modern game, amounts to a jawdropping sum.
It will leave a nasty taste in the mouths of Liverpool fans, who had been told by Can in the months preceding his exit that his future did not hinge upon the money he could rake in. Pull the other one, Emre.
He would never have got anywhere near the same sum from Liverpool had he signed a new contract that he and his representatives also wanted to incorporate a release clause making it easier for him to exit.
The German was a fine player for Liverpool, and should be an even bigger hit in Italy, where the slower pace of the game will suit him down to the ground.
But he will not be mourned as the Merseysiders are convinced two better midfielders have been signed in Fabinho and Naby Keita.