Sky Reporter Says “Movement Already Happening” As Chelsea Fight 2 PL Rivals For £59M Rated Bundesliga Star
Chelsea are vying with Arsenal and Liverpool to sign Bayer Leverkusen defender Jarell Quansah, according to Sky Sports Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg.
Posting on his X account, Plettenberg claimed that “movement [is] already happening behind the scenes” as the Premier League trio (and Real Madrid) battle to secure the player’s signature next year.
Another German source, Sportbild, named Xabi Alonso’s side as suitors for Quansah at the start of this month.
Plettenberg has effectively confirmed those reports, with it shaping up to be a four-team race to snap up the England international.
Why do Chelsea want the centre-back?
Quansah can play in the middle of defence or at right-back, so he is a good fit for a back three. The fact that he is homegrown makes him an even more attractive target.
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The interest does raise doubts about the future of Wesley Fofana, as well as Josh Acheampong. The latter has a very similar profile to Quansah and is only a couple of years younger.
Liverpool could pose the biggest threat in fight for Quansah
As well as naming the interested teams, Plettenberg also verified that the defender’s previous club still hold a buyback option, which will give them the edge in any future negotiations.
Liverpool sanctioned Quansah’s sale to Leverkusen for £30m last year, but they included a clause to re-sign him that remains active until June 15th next year.
However, the Reds would need to pay nearly double what they sold him for – €70m or £59m. There is no certainty that the Merseysiders would be prepared to pay that much for him.
Andoni Iraola’s side currently have Ronald Araujo on loan from Barcelona, who they can sign at the end of the season for €55m (£46.6m). The Uruguayan has had an excellent start to life at Anfield, and if he continues in his current vein of form, he may be favoured over Quansah.