Because of the very nature of the transfer business, potential incomings will always create more excitement. Additionally, as Liverpool gets ready for £116 million After the arrival of Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen, who cost £29 million, Milos Kerkez, who is valued at £45 million, and Giorgi Mamardashvili, who cost £30 million, Reds fans have reason to be excited this summer.
Although Trent Alexander-Arnold and Caoimhin Kelleher have left, the people leaving Anfield haven’t received as much attention.
However, as the Liverpool recruitment team continues to make adjustments to Arne Slot’s squad in preparation for their Premier League title defense, the focus will likely shift on which players should be moved on.
And the center of the Reds’ rearguard is one position on the team that is probably going to provide more intrigue.
It is well known that Liverpool has been trying to secure their center-back options for the future by acquiring top young players, but these players have chosen to advance in their careers elsewhere.
After a stellar season on loan at Brighton, Levi Colwill decided to stay at Chelsea in 2023. Liverpool and Real Madrid fought for Leny Yoro last year, but the French teenager ended up joining Premier League underdogs Manchester United.
Prior to the Spain international making it apparent that he only had eyes for his boyhood club, Real Madrid, the Reds were among the teams pursuing Dean Huijsen of Bournemouth earlier this transfer window.
Liverpool is still searching the market for the next generation of central defenders under the direction of sporting director Richard Hughes. However, Jarell Quansah, an Academy graduate of their own, made a successful transition into the first team in 2023–2024. Despite not receiving nearly as many minutes as Slot after joining, he still managed to make 25 appearances across all competitions this season and win a Premier League winners’ medal.
However, there are still rumors that Quansah is being pursued by a number of teams, including Leverkusen, as he represents England in the UEFA European Under-21 Championships in Slovakia.
Liverpool plans to have the 22-year-old in their squad for the upcoming season, so Newcastle United’s reported interest was again rejected earlier this year after they were informed Quansah wasn’t for sale last summer.
Additionally, there is a compelling argument against the Reds considering letting go of the defender during this transfer window. The immediate futures of the remaining Liverpool center backs are much less clear, even though Virgil van Dijk has reaffirmed his commitment to Anfield for an additional two years.
Due to a hamstring injury that required surgery, Joe Gomez, who was on the verge of moving to Newcastle last summer, has only played 11 minutes since December. However, he was benched for the season’s final two games. Since February 2023, he has only started eight Premier League games at center-back.
Ibrahima Konate, however, is the key question. As the final 12 months of his current contract draw near, negotiations for a new deal made headway toward the end of the season, but the longer an agreement is not reached, the more difficult it will be for Liverpool to decide.
They don’t want to risk losing Konate for nothing next summer, especially since Real Madrid, a champion of the European Super League, is one of the teams considering a move for the France international. They would much rather avoid a recurrence of the Trent Alexander-Arnold situation. Konate’s Liverpool career will be significantly shaped over the course of the next ten weeks.
If Quansah were playing for another Premier League team, Liverpool would be keeping a close eye on him right now. At 22, he is still very much a relative pup in terms of center backs, but his promise still exceeds his potential.
Sooner rather than later, Liverpool will require a new, youthful center-back. However, until then, it seems a little out of step for a recruitment team that has made all the right moves this summer to even consider Quansah’s departure.