Dortmund activate €25m purchase clause for Can

Borussia Dortmund have made Emre Can's loan deal permanent, signing the midfielder on a four-year contract for a reported €25m (£20.8m/$27m) fee.

Can has made just two Bundesliga appearances for Dortmund since signing on loan from reigning Serie A champions Juventus on transfer deadline day in January, but he has impressed sufficiently for the club to make his temporary switch a permanent one.

The midfielder scored a stunning long-range goal on his debut in a 4-3 loss against former side Bayer Leverkusen, before starring in a 4-0 win against Eintracht Frankfurt, playing just over an hour.

Despite only arriving at the club on January 31 - just over two weeks ago - on a loan deal that contained an obligation to buy if certain conditions were met, Dortmund have already triggered their option to tie the player down.

This season, Can had found himself out of favour with Juventus head coach Maurizio Sarri, ending up behind the likes of Blaise Matuidi, Miralem Pjanic, Rodrigo Bentancur, Adrien Rabiot and Aaron Ramsey while being left out of the Bianconeri's Champions League squad.

He ended up making just eight Serie A appearances before his departure.

Despite Juventus sporting director Fabio Paratici suggesting the German would remain with the club at the start of the year, Can - eager to play his way into contention for a spot in Joachim Low's Euro 2020 Germany squad this summer - was allowed to return to his homeland in search of more regular game time.

"I think the team has great potential and can win something," Can said at his official unveiling in Dortmund after arriving on transfer deadline day.

"I am convinced that I can help them and can't wait to play in front of these fans for whom Borussia Dortmund is known all over the world for the first time."

Dortmund's own sporting director, Michael Zorc, also expressed his delight with the capture of the former Liverpool and Bayern Munich midfielder, telling the media at Can's unveiling: "In Emre Can we get a German national player who can be used across multiple systems in defence as well as in central midfield.

"[He is] a player who brings in his skill as well as his technique and has a strong will to win."