Jarell Quansah is the subject of interest from Newcastle, who reportedly believe that a bid of £30million plus add-ons will be enough to prise the centre-back away from Liverpool
Liverpool boss Arne Slot is facing a transfer dilemma after it emerged that Jarell Quansah has attracted interest from Newcastle. Quansah, 22, was recently included in Thomas Tuchel’s first England squad and watched the Three Lions’ routine 3-0 win against Latvia on Monday from the bench.
The centre-back has only been afforded two starts in the Premier League this season, with Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate’s partnership largely unbroken. But Quansah’s versatility saw him drafted in at right-back for the Carabao Cup final due to the absence of Trent Alexander-Arnold. Coincidentally, Liverpool’s opponents from the final, Newcastle, are said to be lining up a bid. The Times report that St James’ Park chiefs believe £30million plus add-ons to be a suitable offer.
Selling a homegrown player would represent pure profit in the eyes of the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules, but Liverpool will know that there’s a dilemma on the horizon – one which will could well make up Slot’s mind on whether to let Quansah depart.
The elephant in the room is not only that Van Dijk’s future remains uncertain after entering the final three months of his contract – but that, this summer, Konate will have only one year left on his deal.
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Real Madrid are said to be interested in the Frenchman, who could also be lured back to his home city of Paris, as PSG weigh up a move for a player with 15 months left on his deal. The Reds want Konate, 25, to stay but they’ll be powerless if he decides to leave on a free transfer in July 2026.
Selling Quansah would risk leaving Liverpool needing to sign multiple new centre-backs over a 12-month period, shifting the foundations of what Slot and before him Jurgen Klopp have built. The Dutchman is also a big fan of the 22-year-old, hailing his mentality to bounce back from being ruthlessly subbed off half-time on the opening day of the season at Ipswich.
“Last season I think everybody saw what a talent he is,” the Liverpool manager said after Quansah’s recent England call-up. “Then this season started with him starting and I changed him as we all know against Ipswich. Ibou and Virgil were and are such a strong combination that he didn’t play a lot.
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“But every time he had to play, except for maybe the first one or two games, but afterwards he had to play you could see that maybe he is no longer a talent because as a talent you don’t have any setbacks, but the moment you get setbacks it’s about you and how you react.
“I think he showed in his recent performances that he’s outgrown being called a talent. That’s probably what Thomas Tuchel saw and sees as well by giving him a call-up. He did really well the last few times he had to play for us and even in a position he’s not completely used to as a right full-back. But in my opinion, he has also the qualities to play in that position.
“He’s strong, he’s fast, he’s very comfortable with the ball and it gives us an extra quality if we play him, which we saw [against PSG], in terms of set-pieces because he was the one that was this far away from us qualifying for the next round by heading the ball onto the post, because that one was not offside.
“He showed mentality and that he had quality. That’s already what we knew when we saw him playing last season.”
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