Overview
- Sky Sports and multiple outlets reported on Friday that Arsenal made exploratory contact with Bayer Leverkusen about signing England defender Jarell Quansah.
- Leverkusen sources, cited by Sky Germany's Florian Plettenberg, have made an internal decision that Quansah is currently not for sale and would only be considered for a substantial fee reportedly around €50m or more.
- Liverpool held a buy-back option on Quansah after selling him last summer but chose not to exercise it this window, leaving Arsenal to negotiate directly with Leverkusen if they pursue the player.
- Arsenal's interest is driven by an immediate need for a player who can cover centre-back and right-back because William Saliba faces an extended layoff and Jurrien Timber is still recovering.
- With a valuation gap between Arsenal and targets such as Aston Villa's Ezri Konsa and Leverkusen's high asking price for Quansah, the club is exploring multiple routes including alternative targets or creative deal structures used in past business with Leverkusen.