David Lynch has indicated that Liverpool could demand roughly £50m for one player who’s a ‘genuine candidate’ to leave the club this summer.
Among the numerous members of Arne Slot’s squad to be linked with a potential exit from Merseyside is Jarell Quansah, with Fabrizio Romano reporting in recent weeks that the defender has been ‘attracting interest from several clubs’.
What has Lynch said about Quansah’s current situation?
In his latest Substack column, Lynch assessed the situations of a few players at Anfield who could potentially depart over the next three months, with the 22-year-old academy graduate included in that list.
The journalist wrote of Liverpool’s number 78: ‘Few would have predicted it last summer, but Quansah is a genuine candidate for a departure in this transfer window.
‘The 22-year-old is wanted by clubs in England and Germany and is thought to be keen on securing more game-time after a frustrating season. Were Liverpool to reluctantly let him go, a valuation of around £50m would have to be met.’
It could be hard for Liverpool to turn down £50m for Quansah
So impressive was Quansah’s breakthrough campaign for the Reds in 2023/24 that he made the preliminary England squad for Euro 2024, only to miss out on Gareth Southgate’s final cut for the tournament in Germany.
However, the centre-back has found the subsequent season considerably tougher, being hauled off by Slot at half-time on the opening weekend against Ipswich and starting just three Premier League games thereafter, two of which came after we’d already clinched the title and fielded some experimental line-ups.
It’s hard to blame the 22-year-old for feeling frustrated at how the past 12 months have gone, although it’s no negative reflection on him that the imperious centre-back partnership of Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate has been near-impossible to break up in recent months.
If a prospective suitor were to offer £50m for Quansah, it could be difficult for Liverpool to turn down such a figure for someone who’s become a backup player at Anfield, particularly if he were to push for an exit in search of more frequent game-time elsewhere.
However, the club must be wary of leaving Slot short for central defenders, with just four natural senior options in an area of the squad where there have been injury problems in recent months.
Such is the dilemma that Richard Hughes will have to ponder if a big bid comes in for the Warrington native, but we have faith in the LFC sporting director to ultimately make the right decision.
