Report: Liverpool could replace Quansah with £45m colossus who’d instantly cancel out one problem | OneFootball

It seems that not a day goes by without at least one Liverpool defender being linked with a move away from the club this summer.

Trent Alexander-Arnold has already flown the coop, Atletico Madrid have reportedly agreed personal terms with Andy Robertson, and uncertainty abounds over the contract situation of Ibrahima Konate with just 12 months remaining on his deal.

Another member of the Reds’ backline whose name has done the rounds in the rumour mill of late is Jarell Quansah, with Fabrizio Romano today outlining that the 22-year-old ‘has opened doors to joining Bayer Leverkusen’ amid contact between the two clubs over a potential move to Erik ten Hag’s side.

Reports which emerged on Thursday suggest that Liverpool might already have a replacement lined up for the Warrington native if he does join the Bundesliga runners-up.

Liverpool eyeing Guehi as potential Quansah replacement

According to DAVEOCKOP, Marc Guehi is high on FSG’s shortlist if they sanction the sale of our number 78, with the Merseysiders understood to have already spoken to the Crystal Palace defender’s agents in March.

The Reds have maintained a constant interest in the 24-year-old, who’s about to enter the final year of his contract at Selhurst Park.

The Eagles may therefore be open to negotiations and the possibility of an offer in the region of £40m-£45m for the England international, rather than losing him on a free transfer in 2026 if they’re unable to tie him down to a new deal in the meantime.

(Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

Guehi would immediately help with Liverpool’s homegrown quota

If Liverpool were to sell Quansah this summer and immediately replace him with Guehi, it’d instantly solve one problem which’d arise from the former’s exit from Anfield.

Having already sold Alexander-Arnold and Caoimhin Kelleher, and with Conor Bradley, Harvey Elliott and Quansah all turning 22 over the past year and therefore no longer eligible for qualification as under-21 players, the Reds are sailing close to the wind in terms of meeting homegrown quota requirements for their domestic and European squads (The Athletic).

The addition of Jeremie Frimpong has helped in that regard (he qualifies due to his many years in Manchester City’s academy), although neither Florian Wirtz nor Milos Kerkez would meet the age threshold to be exempt from classification – the latter misses the 1 January 2004 cutoff by just two months.

(Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

Should Quansah leave and Guehi arrive in his place, that potential headache at Liverpool would be instantly cancelled out, and the Palace defender’s delicate contract situation could also play into LFC’s hands.

Last summer, the Eagles rejected a bid of £70m from Newcastle for the player (CaughtOffside) – their asking price appears to have lessed considerably now that he’s just 12 months away from becoming a free agent.

In Guehi, the Reds would be getting a centre-back who’s well adjusted to the rigours of the Premier League (132 appearances), is coming into his prime footballing years and is recognised as an on-field leader, having captained Oliver Glasner’s side to FA Cup glory a month ago.

If Quansah is sold for his reported asking price of £40m (The Athletic), Liverpool could instantly put that towards a potential swoop for the 24-year-old Palace defender, in the knowledge that such an offer might now be sufficient to convince the south Londoners to cash in.