Arsenal are reportedly in discussions over a stunning swoop for former Liverpool defender Jarell Quansah, with the Gunners seeking defensive reinforcements ahead of the transfer window's closure.
The north London club had previously been linked with Aston Villa's Ezri Konsa, but the Midlands outfit are standing firm on their £60m valuation. Attention now appears to have turned to Quansah, who is capable of operating at both centre-back and right-back.
Negotiations with Bayer Leverkusen
Sky Sports claims Arsenal are in negotiations with Bayer Leverkusen, though the German club are hesitant to sell. It is suggested that it would require considerably more than the £30m fee that Leverkusen paid Liverpool last summer to secure the defender.
Quansah has excelled since his switch from Anfield. Last campaign saw him feature 44 times across all competitions, netting five goals.
World Cup and buy-back clause
He was part of England's squad for this summer's World Cup in North America, though he received a red card in the round of 16 win over Mexico, forcing him to serve a two-match ban. He returned to the starting XI for the third-place play-off against France.
Liverpool might hold an advantage should they wish to pip Arsenal to a deal. The Reds previously had a £64m buy-back clause to re-sign the defender, but that has now lapsed. Reports in the German press suggest that option will drop to £52m if they delay until next summer to finalise the deal.
Quansah's stance and Arsenal's need
When previously discussing a potential return to England, Quansah said ahead of the World Cup: "I always think about the now, really. We've got a massive tournament ahead of us, and at World Cups, anything can happen from one week to the next. You just don't know with football, just like I didn't know exactly when I was gonna leave Liverpool and my time at Bristol. So you can be anywhere in the next two years, you can be anywhere in the next 10. I've just got to think about how I can affect the now and be the best version of myself right now, and that's all I can do."
Arsenal are searching for a fresh centre-back following William Saliba's injury setback. Providing an update on the Frenchman, Mikel Arteta revealed: "William Saliba is in rest mode at the moment for two weeks. He had to do almost nothing, an aggravated injury, so it's going to take some time to heal."
