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Any doubts on either side should have long since subsided.

The quicker a resolution is reached over Emre Can’s contract situation the better.

Discussions are ongoing between Liverpool and the German midfielder’s representatives, but there really is no reason why the impasse should drag on much longer.

Philippe Coutinho , Joe Gomez, Adam Lallana and Dejan Lovren have all penned new long-term deals since the turn of the year and now the hope is that Reds sporting director Michael Edwards will soon add Can’s name to that list.

The stand-off earlier in the campaign was understandable. There was a significant discrepancy between the terms on offer and the terms being demanded. Reaching a compromise proved impossible.

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Put simply, Liverpool didn’t think that Can, whose current deal expres in 2018, had done enough to warrant making the leap into the top bracket of the club’s wage earners.

They had a point. His form in the first half of the season had been patchy. A calf problem hampered his progress and he struggled to nail down a place in Jurgen Klopp’s midfield - making just eight Premier League starts before the turn of the year.

Publicly, Can has insisted that his reluctance to put pen to paper isn’t down to cash.

“I read in newspapers it was about money but it isn’t about money,” he said back in March.

“We’ve had a few good meetings and everything is fine. You never know what will happen in football but I am happy here. I hope to play for many years at Liverpool.”

What else could the delay be down to? Maybe, just maybe, Can’s biggest concern surrounded where he stood in Klopp’s blueprint for the future. Maybe he didn’t want to risk signing at a time when he wasn’t playing every week.

After all this is a player who walked away from Bayern Munich at the age of 19 to join Bayer Leverkusen because he was so desperate to play regularly.

What’s clear is that whether it was about money or opportunities or both, the ground has shifted.

In the second half of this season Can has let his feet do the talking. Monday night’s spectacular winner at Watford wasn’t a complete bolt from the blue.

The 23-year-old’s influence on this Liverpool team has been growing with every passing week. Having only scored one league goal in each of his first two seasons with the Reds, he’s managed five this time around.

Now pain free, he’s more mobile and combative. Once castigated for taking too many touches and slowing games down, he’s become quicker in both thought and deed.

Can has shone both as the holding midfielder protecting the back four and in the more creative advanced role that he filled at Vicarage Road.

Klopp has challenged him to get forward more and do some damage in the final third. The message has got through with priceless winners against Burnley and Watford. He’s become one of the first names on the teamsheet.

Liverpool have lost some star names in recent months. Captain Jordan Henderson hasn’t played since February, Adam Lallana was sidelined for five weeks and there was Sadio Mane’s season-ending knee injury.

Yet during a difficult time, Can has blossomed into a leader to keep the club’s Champions League push alive. His importance to Liverpool has never been greater. Can is finally purring like the “Rolls-Royce” footballer Brendan Rodgers once described him as.

(Image: Andrew Powell, getty Images)

It was telling that after he scored on Monday night he made a beeline for Klopp. Their bond is strong. He has improved immeasurably from working with his fellow countryman and you get the feeling that there’s so much more to come.

Can is in the right place to continue his development and he’s the type of talent Klopp should be building a team around.

Lovren recently got a pay hike to around £100,000 per week and Can has proved that he belongs in that category.

Getting that contract signed before the end of the season should be a no-brainer for all concerned.