Real Madrid Reportedly Monitoring Emre Can Amid Juventus Ultimatum Rumours

Real Madrid are reportedly keeping an eye on the transfer saga involving Liverpool midfielder Emre Can. 

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t Ian Doyle the Liverpool Echo), the Germany international is wanted by Juventus, although he's been given a deadline by the Italian club to make a decision over his future in the next week. 

Can's deal at Anfield is set to expire at the end of the campaign, meaning he is free to hold talks with other continental clubs with a view to signing a pre-contract. Los Blancos are also interested in case any deal falls through.

The 24-year-old is reportedly hopeful of former club Bayern Munich making a move for him in the coming months.

According to Doyle, it's not certain the player will leave Liverpool, and the Reds "haven't given up hope of negotiating a new deal with Can, who remains an integral part of Jurgen Klopp's first team this season."

Can has been in fine form of late, manning the base of the Liverpool midfield effectively and knitting together a lot of their attacks. Given how well the player and the team are performing, the Empire of the Kop Twitter account wondered why he would want to go anywhere else:

In the main, he's an asset to this Liverpool side; the former Bayer Leverkusen man can do a bit of everything. Can doesn't shirk physical battles, is always seeking to get on the ball and makes smart decisions in the final third.

This season he's chipped in with some important goals, too. Per OptaJoe, he's having an excellent term in front of goal:

The Liverpool star is performing well and making steady improvements to his game, and Juve's midfield would benefit from being refreshed, with the likes of Sami Khedira, Claudio Marchisio and Blaise Matuidi all aged 30 or over.

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Madrid have class in abundance in this area in Luka Modric, Casemiro and Toni Kroos, while Mateo Kovacic carries out a similar job to Can, offering a box-to-box presence. As noted by Scouted Football, even though he's not a first-team regular, the Croatia international continues to impress when given a chance:

As such, it's not clear where Can would fit in if Real were to sign him at the last minute, whereas at Liverpool and Juventus, first-team football would surely be guaranteed.

While Liverpool are on an upward trajectory under Klopp and moving in an exciting direction, Madrid and Juventus carry an allure and a promise of challenging for the biggest titles on the continent. It's why, at this point, it would be a surprise to see him donning red next season.