Liverpool would be far from in any rush to usher Jarell Quansah out of the exit door this summer, but the Reds defender didn't play as much as he might have liked in the season just gone.
Hooked at halftime at Ipswich Town in Arne Slot's first game in charge, Quansah went on to start only three more Premier League games. Two of those — half of his top-flight starts — came once the title had already been confirmed, while both of his Champions League starts were in the group phase when the main work had been done.
Like Harvey Elliott, another who didn't get the minutes he desired last year, Quansah is a huge talent. The pair are both at the U21 European Championship in Slovakia at the moment, with England set to take on Spain at the weekend in the quarter-finals, but interest is anticipated in each.
It is thought that Bayer Leverkusen is very keen on Quansah, though any deal would be completely separate from the agreement that is in place for Florian Wirtz. And should Quansah leave, The Times reports that a possible replacement has been identified.
Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi is the man in question. He has Premier League experience and, as an England international, would count as homegrown. Having been the subject of interest from Newcastle United last summer, he only has a year left on his contract.
It is unclear at this stage exactly how much Crystal Palace would demand for Guehi. Oliver Glasner's side, though, has been taking a look at Sporting CP center-back Ousmane Diomande in case a successor is required.
Marc Guehi.
Marc Guehi. (Image: Photo by Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images)
Guehi, at 24, is slightly more experienced than Quansah. And it is not only Quansah where Liverpool has some question marks at center-back.
Virgil van Dijk, of course, has signed a new contract that will keep him at Anfield until 2027. But Ibrahima Konate is set to enter the final year of his deal as things stand.
Joe Gomez, meanwhile, could have joined Newcastle last summer when a deal in principle was agreed with the Magpies that would have seen Anthony Gordon move the other way in a separate transaction for PSR purposes.
Gomez is Liverpool's longest-serving player — and is another who is homegrown — but he didn't play as much as he might have thought in the 2024/25 campaign. In part, that was through injury, but he also was third or fourth in the pecking order.
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While there have been other areas of the Liverpool roster to focus on early on in the summer, center-back might need to become a priority. Dean Huijsen would have been ideal, but he opted for Real Madrid.
Last year, Liverpool looked at Leny Yoro before he moved to Manchester United. A year on, the search for someone with a high ceiling to play that role might need to be stepped up.
Liverpool.com says: Guehi is a solid player but he would have to come in knowing that he wouldn't be first choice. In a World Cup year, that might not be the easiest sell to someone looking to establish himself under Thomas Tuchel.