Liverpool agrees to take $70M transfer hit to continue Arne Slot rebuild

Yahoo

6 hours ago

Liverpool is in the midst of a major rebuild. That feels incredible to say on the back of a title-winning season, but Arne Slot is taking no prisoners as he puts his stamp on the squad — although the terms of the latest deal to be agreed speak volumes.
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The incoming and outgoing columns are both starting to fill up. Moves for Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong and Giorgi Mamardashvili are all confirmed, with Milos Kerkez expected in due course, while Caoimhin Kelleher has kicked off the departures.
Darwin Nunez could soon follow him out of the exit door, with Napoli keen, while Harvey Elliott is considering his future as well. But the next deal to be confirmed is likely to be the sale of Jarell Quansah.
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By all accounts, a move to Bayer Leverkusen has been effectively finalized. Confirmation is expected once Quansah completes his England U21 duties.
In some ways, it's a curious transfer. At 22, Quansah had the potential to be a big part of the future at Anfield following his breakthrough under Jurgen Klopp.
At first, it seemed as though Slot simply might not rate him. He was hooked after 45 minutes in the first game of the season, and struggled to get a look-in for a while after that.
But by the end of the title-winning campaign, Quansah was back in the coach's good books, albeit not the starting XI. He was entrusted at numerous key junctures, and seemed to be broadly back on track.
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A new deal for Virgil van Dijk appeared as though it might slow his path to being a bona fide starter, but no more. The captain turns 34 next month, and a contract renewal does not stop time.
And adding in the uncertainty over Ibrahima Konate's future, it is an odd moment to be cashing in on a promising young center-back. But the fine print helps explain Liverpool's logic.
Jarell Quansah is heading to Bayer Leverkusen -Credit:Tullio Puglia - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images
Including add-ons, Liverpool is expected to net around $46 million (£34 million) for Quansah. That's a hard price to ignore for someone with 17 Premier League starts.
With Van Dijk extending, and Konate expected to play at least one more year, Quansah's short-term prospects for next season did not look especially improved. It's hard to see a scenario where his value would be higher next summer, at a time when a continued lack of minutes might have left him more minded than ever to push for a move away.
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It would have been very tempting to keep him around as a more than competent third choice. But having sold Nat Phillips for a paltry fee this summer, after repeatedly keeping him as a kind of injury safety net, Liverpool has been given a pointed reminder that timing can be everything in these matters.
The sale also unlocks more options for Slot this summer. Liverpool does not need to sell in order to buy from a financial perspective, but it is still committed to running sustainably.
Moreover, Slot needs to keep a reasonably tight core squad from a player management perspective. Quansah's departure instantly makes it easier to pitch a clear pathway to minutes to other center-back targets, for example Marc Guehi.
And crucially, Liverpool has protected itself in the scenario that Quansah really kicks on at Bayer Leverkusen. In two years' time, if he has progressed to the level where he would be an undisputed starter at Anfield, the Reds have secured a buy-back.
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According to Fabrizio Romano, that is set at "over" $70 million (£51 million). It's far from cheap, but with a premium of potentially less than $25 million on the initial sale price, it's highly reasonable.
After all, if Quansah reaches a level where Liverpool is keen to get him back, he will certainly be a $70 million defender. If anything, that will represent a fee below the market rate.
The clause can't be activated until 2027. But that gives all parties a reasonable amount of time to take stock.
If in two years, Liverpool can clearly see that it was wrong, then it will happily take a $70 million hit. In the meantime, the Slot rebuild can continue at breakneck speed.
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Obviously, Liverpool does not strictly expect to activate the clause — if it was that certain Quansah would one day be a world-beater, it would have only sanctioned a loan. A buy-back does not guarantee a right to re-sign him ahead of other suitors, and in any event would still come at a cost to the club's coffers.
But the clause does neatly set up an "everybody wins" scenario. It's the latest piece of evidence that Liverpool's transfer department is back to its brilliant best, which is what makes this ongoing rebuild such an exciting prospect.