Liverpool has left itself with plenty to do this summer, and sporting director Richard Hughes— the man tasked with doing the deals for Arne Slot — is going to be busy.
In addition to Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk’s contract situations, there are doubts over the futures of players like Darwin Nunez. In terms of incomings, Liverpool would ideally sign a left-back upgrade and a new number nine, plus some better-suited cover for Ryan Gravenberch than Wataru Endo.
That already sounds like quite a lot to sort out before you get to what might happen with players whose minutes have been limited (Harvey Elliott and Federico Chiesa, for instance). And there is normally some interest from somewhere that crops up unexpectedly — there are usually a few sliding doors and moving parts.
It is for that reason that there should be no thought of losing Jarell Quansah as well as some of those listed above amid interest from Newcastle United. The Magpies, it is understood, were interested in the Liverpool ace last summer but nothing came of that.
The Reds were reluctant to lose such a talent and rightly so. A year on, though, The Times says that Newcastle’s interest remains— with Quansah having only featured for a touch over 1000 minutes since (about 40 per cent of what he played in the final year of Jurgen Klopp when he broke into the team).
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Given Van Dijk is not guaranteed to still be at Anfield next season and Ibrahima Konate is only tied down until 2026 as things stand, Liverpool cannot afford to lose a defender with as high a ceiling as Quansah. Joe Gomez, meanwhile, has been missing since the turn of the year through injury and nearly moved away himself last summer.
And if Alexander-Arnold leaves, though a new signing would have to come in to replace him, with Conor Bradley having picked up a few injuries, Quansah might even be useful as cover at full-back. He hasn’t been used that much under Slot so far — but he is still very much a useful asset.
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The suggestion that Newcastle would hope to do a deal for Quansah at around $39 million (£30 million) is far below what Liverpool would demand for an experienced and talented defender who has just made the first England squad under Thomas Tuchel.
Bournemouth’s Dean Huijsen is not the perfect barometer given he has a release clause to set his price tag, but the Spaniard should not be worth not far short of double Quansah’s valuation at this stage of his career. He only made himself a permanent fixture under Andoni Iraola in December.
“It was a very enjoyable experience — I work so hard for my career and to be able to play in the Champions League at Anfield is a dream come true,” Quansah told reporters after making his Champions League home debut in January. There should be plenty more big milestones like that one to come.
