Jarell Quansah will be sold by Liverpool to Bayer Leverkusen for a possible £35 million. All summer long, the Reds and the Bundesliga team were negotiating over the deals for Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong.
Wirtz became the most expensive player in Anfield history when he signed on Friday for a fee of up to £116 million, while Frimpong’s £29 million release clause was activated last month prior to an official transfer on June 1.
Quansah, an England Under-21 player, stepped up discussions earlier this week, and an agreement has now been reached after the advanced talks.
According to reports, the initial price is £30 million, with an additional £5 million in add-ons. The terms may also include a buyback clause for the Reds, who rejected Newcastle United’s interest in the center-back last season.
At the start of the 2023–24 season, Quansah made a name for himself in the first team. He finished the season as a regular under Jurgen Klopp, starting and scoring in the German manager’s final game against Wolves in May of last year.
However, the Warrington-born defender was substituted for Ibrahima Konate at halftime after starting the first game of the Arne Slot era against Ipswich Town in August with captain Virgil van Dijk. The new head coach later expressed his displeasure with the number of duels lost against the aggressive Liam Delap.
Even though Quansah only signed a new long-term contract in October, he is now expected to move to the Werkself as they try to wrest back their Bundesliga title from Bayern Munich next season. That game was his only Premier League start before Liverpool confirmed themselves as champions in late April.
Leverkusen, who have the warchest from the sales of Frimpong and Wirtz, will set a club record with the fee. Jonathan Tah, who joined Bayern Munich on a free transfer earlier this summer, will be replaced at the BayArena by Quansah.
To replace the 22-year-old Quansah, Liverpool will now give priority to a younger center-back; however, Marc Guehi of Crystal Palace, who turns 25 next month, is a player of interest at Anfield.
The England international is in his last season at Selhurst Park and is reportedly not interested in signing a new contract. If the FA Cup holders decide to cash in, he could be available this summer for a discounted price.
With their pursuit of Sporting’s £40 million Ousmane Diomande, the Eagles already seem to be preparing for life without their captain, and it’s thought Guehi would seize the opportunity to join the Reds.
Quansah is a member of the England U21 team that defeated Spain on Saturday night to secure their spot in the European Championship semifinals. Following the Slovakian tournament, he will formally finalize his transfer.
With the acquisition of Trent Alexander-Arnold (£10 million to Real Madrid) and Caoimhin Kelleher (£18.5 million to Brentford), the Reds have now raised nearly £65 million in sales this summer, including add-ons.