Arsenal open talks to sign £43m former Liverpool player

Arsenal are in talks with Bayer Leverkusen over the signing of former Liverpool defender Jarell Quansah, though it may not be an easy deal to do.

Sky Sports News report that Arsenal are in talks with Bayer Leverkusen over a possible deal for Jarell Quansah, with Mikel Arteta viewing Quansah as a good addition given his ability to play at both centre-back and right-back.

Quansah was involved with England at the World Cup over the summer, but he’s now back in training with Leverkusen after his holiday.

Sky report that Leverkusen don’t want to sell, and that Arsenal would need to pay considerably more than the initial £30m the German club paid for Quansah last summer.

Liverpool also had a buy-back clause in the player’s contract for €70m (£59.8m), but David Ornstein reports for The Athletic that the clause has since expired.

Ornstein adds that Quansah is open to the Arsenal move if the situation develops, but reiterates that Leverkusen don’t want to sell and are under no pressure to do so.

Ed Aarons of The Guardian confirms that Arsenal are in talks over Quansah, with the asking price expected to be at least €50m (£42.7m).

But that may not put Arsenal off. The Gunners have shown a strong interest in Ezri Konsa this summer, and indicated a willingness to pay around £40m for the centre-back, but Aston Villa have been holding out for £60m and refusing to budge.

By comparison, Quansah’s reported fee is seemingly closer to Arsenal’s budgeted price for a centre-back. Being five years younger than Konsa, there’s also a better chance that some of that investment can be recouped with a later sale.

Arsenal have done business with Bayer Leverkusen before, as recently as this very summer. The Gunners signed Piero Hincapie on loan in 2025, and they made that deal permanent in on July 1st.

Leverkusen evidently aren’t jumping at the chance to sell Arsenal another defender at this stage, but the numbers being discussed make it seem like a relatively realistic proposition.

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