One of Newcastle United’s reported transfer targets is on the move, and it’s not to St James’ Park.
We’re used to this by now, Newcastle are linked with a player, nothing materialises and they end up going somewhere else.
It’s a frustration for the club and supporters but, on this occasion, no one will be losing any sleep.
Last June, Newcastle held talks with Liverpool over the potential signing of centre-back Jarell Quansah as the Merseyside club looked to bring Anthony Gordon in the opposite direction in a. The player plus cash swap proposal came at a time Newcastle were scrambling to comply with Premier League Profitability and Sustainability Rules.
A deal failed to materialise as Newcastle were able to avoid a points deduction by facilitating the sales of Elliot Anderson and Yankuba Minteh to Nottingham Forest and Brighton respectively.
But given the initial talks last summer and Newcastle’s desire to sign a centre-back, Quansah has continued to be linked with a move.
Liverpool ageree £35m Jarell Quansah transfer
But any talk of a potential move for Quansah by Newcastle looks set to be put to bed as Liverpool are closing in on agreeing £35million deal with Bayer Leverkusen.
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano said: “Jarell Quansah deal can be agreed in the next 24/48h as Bayer Leverkusen and Liverpool are at final stages of negotiations. Quansah already said yes; understand final fee can be around £30m plus £5m add-ons.”
The same message has been conveyed by David Ornstein at The Athletic, who claimed personal terms between Leverkusen and Quansah ‘won’t be an issue’.
The expected transfer comes with Liverpool set to sign Leverkusen star Florian Wirtz in a Premier League record £116.5million transfer. The German is currently undergoing his medical at Liverpool.
Liverpool selling a 22-year-old academy graduate in Quansah for up to £35million in pure-profit will help fund the Wirtz transfer and satisfy PSR.
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Newcastle United want centre-back signing
While Newcastle’s links to Quansah came from a desperate situation last summer, they are seriously interested in brining in an established centre-back signing this summer.
The Magpies tried and failed to sign Marc Guehi last summer from Crystal Palace and now face stronger competition for his signature this summer as he enters the final year of his contract at Selhurst Park.
Newcastle have also sold Lloyd Kelly to Juventus for £20million and are yet to bring in a replacement while Jamaal Lascelles, Fabian Schar and Emil Krafth are all heading into the final years of their contracts. Sven Botman is also the only centre-back in Newcastle’s senior squad below the age of 30.
So Newcastle will be targeting a relatively young but experienced centre-back ideally with Premier League experience. And as they found out when trying to sign Guehi last summer, they won’t come cheap.
21-year-old Sporting Lisbon centre-back Ousmane Diomande has recently been linked with a move to Tyneside with Newcastle scouting the Ivory Coast international during the 2024/25 season. But in the same way they were also looking at his teammate Viktor Gyökeres, a deal is unlikely to happen.
With Champions League football on the horizon, squad additions are a necessity for Eddie Howe’s side.
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