Contact made: Fabrizio Romano names £50m Liverpool player who ex-Man Utd boss now wants to sign | OneFootball

Fabrizio Romano has shared a transfer update on Wednesday afternoon which could pique the interest of Liverpool fans.

The Reds recently bolstered their squad with the acquisition of Jeremie Frimpong from Bayer Leverkusen, and they’re now understood to be closing in on a deal for his ex-BayArena teammate Florian Wirtz.

While we could soon see two players swapping the Bundesliga for Merseyside, the German outfit – now managed by ex-Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag – reportedly have eyes for a member of Arne Slot’s title-winning squad at Anfield.

Romano: Leverkusen make contact over Quansah

Taking to X today, Romano outlined that, in their search for a centre-back replacement for Jonathan Tah, Leverkusen have two names at the top of their shortlist – Loic Bade and Jarell Quansah.

The Italian transfer reporter added that contact has been initiated regarding the possibility of a move for the Liverpool defender, in what would be an entirely separate deal from Wirtz, rather than the Reds’ number 78 being used as a makeweight to push through an agreement for the Germany international.

Could Quansah viably depart for Leverkusen this summer?

With Quansah restricted to just four Premier League starts all season – two of which came in rotated line-ups after we’d secured the title – it comes as no great surprise that he’s been linked with a possible exit, with David Lynch citing him as a ‘genuine candidate for a departure in this transfer window’ (via Substack).

The journalist added that the Merseysiders would probably demand around £50m for the 22-year-old, which indicates that they’re not willing to let him go too readily.

(Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

Leverkusen may well be hoping that, if they sell Wirtz to Liverpool off the back of Frimpong making the same move, the path could be smoother for them to get the Warrington native in return. Whether the player would be open to joining the Bundesliga runners-up is another matter.

Given the Reds’ eternal rivalry with Man United, and Ten Hag’s chequered reign at Old Trafford, would Quansah really want to leave the Premier League champions in order to link up with the former Red Devils boss?

Despite not being a regular starter under Arne Slot, he still played 25 times in the most recent campaign, so it’s not as if he’s been completely left in the cold. Also, given the less than stellar injury records of Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez, it’s quite plausible that our number 78 could still get plenty of opportunities at Anfield.

Leverkusen’s interest isn’t wholly surprising, but we suspect that their reported interest might’t be reciprorated by the 22-year-old, and we can’t see Liverpool readily parting with him either.