Liverpool sold a genuinely elite talent for just £35m | OneFootball

Liverpool sold a genuinely elite talent on the cheap last summer. This week's news just proved it.

Liverpool's summer 2025 transfer window looked extraordinary at the time. It still does - only for entirely different reasons.

The record amounts of money spent, fuelled by massive sales, has resulted in a Liverpool team that's significantly worse than the one they had last season. Bizarrely, their future doesn't look any brighter, either.

Part of the reason for that is Liverpool moving on a series of players who stood to be their future. Harvey Elliott (though, he will be back), Caoimhin Kelleher and Jarell Quansah were all supposed to have long-term roles.

Quansah, in particularly, is a strange one. He'd become a starting centre-back under Jurgen Klopp but one difficult season under Arne Slot was enough to see him sold.

The Reds picked up £35m for him from Bayer Leverkusen. A figure that looked okay at the time but now looks quite awful.

Quansah has excelled in Germany, forcing his way into Thomas Tuchel's England setup. He's been named in the most recent squad as a player who can operate at both centre-back or right-back.

Liverpool, then, gave away a versatile, homegrown England international for £35m. Yes, they have the option to get him for a buyback clause worth twice that - but it's not exactly as good of a deal as just developing him themselves, is it?

Keeping Quansah on the books and having him as an option - a very valuable one, no less - now seems like the correct move. Liverpool instead made a blunder with the sale and it's one that will, at the very least, cost them £30m to rectify.

Jarell Quansah: Situation Summary

Performance at Bayer Leverkusen

Since his £35 million move to Germany in July 2025, the 23-year-old has become a cornerstone of Leverkusen’s defense. He has made 32 appearances this season, scoring four goals—including a recent late equalizer against Mainz. His form earned him a senior England debut in November 2025 and a spot in Thomas Tuchel's squad for the March 2026 friendlies.

Buy-Back Clause and Transfer Rumours

Liverpool secured a buy-back clause worth approximately £52.5 million (€60m) when they sold Quansah. While the clause officially activates in July 2027, reports from TEAMtalk and Goal suggest Liverpool is considering bringing him back early this summer due to Ibrahima Konaté’s contract uncertainty. However, other sources indicate the club may wait until 2027, as they have already committed to signing Jeremy Jacquet from Rennes and expect Giovanni Leoni to return from injury. Leverkusen is reportedly reluctant to sell in 2026 unless Quansah explicitly pushes for the move.