Jarell Quansah has been linked with a move away from Liverpool this summer
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Jarell Quansah of Liverpool
Jarell Quansah of Liverpool(Image: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
The summer business of Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen continues to be intertwined. Florian Wirtz is set to arrive in a blockbuster £116m deal from the German side, and Jeremie Frimpong has already completed his switch.
There is a willingness to be aggressive in the transfer market this summer, something that hasn’t been seen enough by owners Fenway Sports Group, according to some sections of the Reds fan base.
The deal for Wirtz would break the British transfer record and is a statement of intent for the forthcoming season, while the addition of one of Europe’s brightest full-back prospects in Frimpong, and the impending arrival of another much-coveted defender, 22-year-old Bournemouth left-back Milos Kerkez, will take spending to close on the £190m mark, and that could rise further.
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Liverpool have the financial flexibility and muscle to be able to bear the cost, that comes with success on the pitch for the Premier League champions, money from the Champions League and strong commercial revenues that will be pushing the £350m a year mark before too long. Club revenues for the 2024/25 financial year, which came to an end on May 31, are likely to surpass the £700m mark for the very first time.
But the club does need to player trade effectively to aid their position, especially with transfer business likely to continue, with centre-back and striking options being considered.
There will have to be some movement out in order to facilitate even more movement in. That’s not through financial necessity, but through sensible business practice, which has long been the mantra at Liverpool under FSG.
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Jarell Quansah is one player that represents a route to profitability for the Reds, with the 22-year-old attracting the interest of Bayer Leverkusen and Newcastle United.
Having broken through into the Reds’ Premier League side in 2023/24, Quansah impressed, but last season became more of a struggle for the Warrington-born central defender, and while Liverpool still have belief in his potential, he has a strong valuation on the market, with the club seeking £40m or more to even consider parting ways.
A £40m offer would be hard for the Reds to turn down for a player that won’t play heavy minutes, who had a testing year last season, and who has played just 30 Premier League games over the last two years.
Liverpool also know that any money for Quansah would be pure profit in accounting terms for the club, with the player holding no book value due to him having progressed through the youth ranks at the club.
When a club buys a player they account for the transfer fee, regardless when and how the fee is actually paid, through a process known as amortisation, which is the spreading of the guaranteed transfer sum over five years, a period that has now been capped.
Each year the book value decreases, meaning that when a club sells a player they have to realise a profit over and above any remaining book value before they can realise any accounting profit on the player. For example, a £50m signing sold after two years would need to command a fee in excess of £30m before any accounting profit could be realised.
With the sale of players, that profit can be booked immediately, it isn’t spread over time. That means the profit made is immediately on the books, and that aids the ability of clubs to move in the market as it improves their profit and loss figures, and is impactful when it comes to regulation such as the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules (PSR).
In the case of someone like Quansah, a £40m sale would be £40m that the club could account for straightaway, that would allow them to offset some summer transfer outlay or put to work for additional signings.
Using the guaranteed fees for Wirtz, Frimpong and, based on a £45m deal, Kerkez, Liverpool would be adding some £35m in amortisation costs to the balance sheet for 2025/26. Amortisation for 2023/24 stood at £114.5m, the fifth-highest in the Premier League, and that likely remained fairly static for 2024/25 given the additions of Federico Chiesa and Giorgi Marmadashvili being largely offset by book value dropping on a number of players.
That’s why Liverpool have the wherewithal to be able to make moves this summer, they have some £95m less in amortisation costs than a club like Chelsea, and significantly higher revenues, and they are adding from a position of strength for meaningful pieces of the puzzle.
There will likely be a need for another central defender, with Ibrahima Konate’s contract situation rumbling on and the need for the club to plan for a future after Virgil van Dijk in a couple of years' time. Quansah may not be the long-term answer, but what he offers Liverpool in the market is the financial impetus to go and find the long-term solution.
Liverpool have fallen away a little in recent years when it comes to player trading its own homegrown stars, having enjoyed significant success with the likes of Jordon Ibe and Rhian Brewster in years past.
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This year we have already seen Caoimhin Kelleher depart to Brentford for £18m, and with Quansah a wanted man, nearly £60m of pure profit could arrive into the club. With the Reds still eyeing moves in the market before next season, that could spell bad news for some of their rivals. The Reds have kept their powder dry for some time, and they have plenty of it.