Liverpool have agreed a deal in principle for Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Emre Can, the club has confirmed.

The Reds have agreed a deal in principle with Leverkusen, to sign the 20-year-old, subject to “documentation being completed.”

The Guardian reports Liverpool have agreed trigged a €12m (£9.7m) release clause in Can’s Leverkusen contract over a week ago.

Can is now set to become the second major signing for the Reds, following the capture of Rickie Lambert from Southampton earlier this week.

We reported earlier today that Bild claimed that a deal will be announced today, after Leverkusen CEO Michael Schade confirmed to the German newspaper.

The German under under 21 international scored four goal in 39 appearances for Leverkusen and played an influential role in team’s fourth placed finish last season.

The reason why the deal was not progressing despite Liverpool triggering his release clause was the contractual problem with Bayern, as the Bavarians had a buy-back option on the Frankfurt-born player and were reportedly keen on taking Can back to Munich next summer. 

The option did not apply for a sale outside Germany, which allowed Liverpool to capitalise, and helped Leverkusen to make a profit on sales as well.

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