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Emre Can has revealed how he turned down the chance to return to Bayern Munich because he was so desperate to sign for Liverpool FC this summer.

The Germany Under-21s midfielder, who is closing in on a comeback after a month out with an ankle injury, moved to Anfield from Bayer Leverkusen in July after the Reds activated his £9.75million release clause.

A year earlier Can had made the switch to Leverkusen from Bayern Munich for an undisclosed fee with the Bavarian giants securing a buyback option which could be triggered in 2015.

When Bayern learned of Liverpool’s interest they tried to persuade Can to stay put for a further 12 months on the promise he would then be brought back to the Allianz Arena.

However, a chat with Reds boss Brendan Rodgers convinced the 20-year-old to spurn Pep Guardiola’s advances and head for Merseyside instead.

“Bayern had a buyback clause but that didn’t kick in until next year,” Can confirmed.

“There were some discussions with Bayern this summer but I decided the best thing for me would be to accept the opportunity to come to Liverpool.

“Before I came here I had discussions with Brendan Rodgers and that made my mind up. From those talks I was very positive about this move.

“This whole club is very ambitious and positive about how it wants to play football. That’s the way I want to play football too.

“Liverpool believe in the same things and that’s why I came here. I want to stay here for a long time.”

Can started out in the youth ranks at his hometown club Eintracht Frankfurt before being snapped up by Bayern Munich at the age of 15 in 2009.

Three years later he made his first-team debut but competing with the likes of Bastian Schweinsteiger, Javi Martinez and Luiz Gustavo for the central midfield roles meant his game time was limited. He only made four Bundesliga appearances.

Bayern have a policy of letting youngsters on the fringes of their squad leave and allow them to gain experience with Toni Kroos, Philipp Lahm and David Alaba among those who have gone elsewhere before returning and firmly establishing themselves.

That was the idea when Can signed a four-year contract with Leverkusen in August 2013 with Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge describing him as “one of the biggest talents in German football”.

“The situation was that I wasn’t getting much match time at Bayern,” Can said.

“As a young player you need games under your belt. Leverkusen wanted me and I took that chance. I’m glad I did as they gave me the chance to play.

“When I left Bayern for Leverkusen it was never certain that I would go back there. You can never say what will happen in the future.

“Last season I was fully committed to Leverkusen, I wasn’t thinking about what would happen years down the line.

“You never know what will happen in football. Now I’m here and I’m fully committed to Liverpool.”

Can, whose name is pronounced ‘Chan’, admits he owes a debt of gratitude to Kop legend Sami Hyypia, who was his manager at the BayArena last season.

He became a mainstay of the side as he was used mainly in a defensive midfield role – scoring four goals in 39 appearances as Leverkusen finished fourth in the Bundesliga and reached the last 16 of the Champions League.

“I went there as a young player who needed to be given the chance to play and I’m very grateful that Sami gave me that chance,” he said.

“I know Sami is a legend here and I’m thankful for everything he did for me.

“I put the effort in during training and played better than others so I got into the team.

“I was able to put into practise everything I learned during my time at Bayern when I was working with players like Schweinsteiger, Martinez and Gustavo. You pick up little things every day. They made major contributions to developing my career.”

Can’s hopes of making an instant impression at Anfield were dashed as he picked up a calf injury in pre-season.

He recovered and made substitute appearances away to both Manchester City and Tottenham but then suffered ankle ligament damage playing for Germany Under-21s against Romania last month.

He has sat out the past seven matches but hopes to play a part in the Reds’ Premier League clash against lowly Queens Park Rangers next Sunday.

“I’m feeling much better and I should be back in full training with the first team next week,” he said. “I got a blow on the ankle first of all and then when I was running at pace I tried to turn and went over on it.

“It’s been frustrating but that’s what happens in football and you have to get on with it. I’m confident I can come back stronger from this.

“I should be fit and available for the QPR game but of course whether I play any part in that game is down to the coach and how I get on in the training sessions next week.

“I’ve only played about 50 minutes in total but my initial impression about the Premier League is that there is much more tempo to the games here compared to Germany.

“The Bundesliga is more relaxed about how you play the game with more passing. English football is more about pressing from the start and that high tempo is the big difference.”

Both of Can’s outings have been on the Reds’ travels and he’s relishing the prospect of finally gracing Anfield, especially with Real Madrid the next visitors a week on Wednesday.

“I’ve been in the stands watching on and the atmosphere for matches at Anfield has been outstanding,” he said.

“I’m really looking forward to playing in front of the home fans. There’s a huge game against Real Madrid coming up and I hope to be involved in that.”

With Can’s return set to coincide with comebacks for Daniel Sturridge and Joe Allen, the German midfielder believes Rodgers’ men will raise the bar after a disappointing start to the campaign.

“The team has had a lot of problems with injuries and that has certainly affected things,” he added.

“We haven’t been able to get up to speed as a team as quickly as we would have liked.

“But I see us as being much stronger after the international break and I believe we will get back up there among the top teams.

“I have settled well in this city and my team-mates have helped me a lot in that respect. Now I want to show what I can do.”