Bayer Leverkusen sign Liverpool defender Jarell Quansah in £35million deal
Bayer Leverkusen have completed the signing of Liverpool defender Jarell Quansah in a £35million deal.
The Bundesliga side will pay £30million up front for the 22-year-old centre-back, who started last season alongside Virgil van Dijk against Ipswich but was substituted at half-time and never regained his regular starting place.
Liverpool are also understood to have inserted a buy-back option into the deal for their academy graduate, who joined the club as a five-year-old.
A statement on the Reds’ official website read: “Jarell Quansah has completed a transfer from Liverpool to Bayer Leverkusen.
“Everybody at LFC would like to thank Jarell for his contributions and wish him the very best for the future.”
The Warrington-born England Under-21 international, who made his debut in 2023 and went on to make 58 appearances, leaves Anfield as a Premier League champion and Carabao Cup winner.
Leverkusen welcomed Quansah with a message on their official X account which read: “Liv to Lev. Welcome to Bayer 04, Jarell Quansah!”
The defender, a European Under-21 Championship winner with England, revealed he is relishing the challenge of being part of the club’s rebuilding process under former Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag.
Quansah, who was used as a late substitute in Liverpool’s 4-0 Champions League victory over the Germans last season, told the club’s official website: “I was able to get a good impression of the team and the club when Liverpool played Leverkusen in the Champions League last season. A brilliant team – for the first hour, they played like almost no other side at Anfield.
“The ambitious targets here were clearly explained to me during the negotiations. It’s a great role and challenge for me to be part of the current Leverkusen rebuild.”
Liverpool could strengthen their central defensive options with a move for the Crystal Palace captain, Marc Guéhi, but Palace will need to reduce their £65m asking price for a defender who has a year remaining on his contract.
Quansah’s departure from Liverpool comes on the same day it was confirmed that the former Arsenal and Barcelona midfielder Giovanni van Bronckhorst has joined the club as an assistant coach, subject to receiving a visa.
Van Bronckhorst, who has coached Feyenoord, Guangzhou, Rangers and most recently Besiktas, replaces Arne Slot’s former assistant and now Ajax head coach John Heitinga. Liverpool have also confirmed the return of Xavi Valero as their new head of first-team goalkeeper coaching. Valero worked for the club during Rafael Benítez’s reign and has spent the past seven years at West Ham. He replaces Fabian Otte, who is leaving after one season, while Brazil World Cup winner Claudio Taffarel is also stepping down as a Liverpool goalkeeping coach after four years.
Additional reporting: Guardian
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