Manchester United and Arsenal have reportedly held talks over a deal to sign Bayer Leverkusen star Jarell Quansah, as per Football Transfers.
The Red Devils currently have Matthijs de Ligt, Leny Yoro, Harry Maguire, Lisandro MartÃnez and Ayden Heaven as options to deploy in the centre-back positions.
However, De Ligt has been out injured for several months, while Yoro has struggled to find his feet in the Premier League since joining from LOSC Lille. Maguire has also had fitness problems in recent years and has reached the twilight of his career.
Moreover, MartÃnez has struggled to stay fit in recent seasons, while Heaven is still very young and needs time to develop. So, United could do with signing a new defender.
Now, Football Transfers report that Man Utd are interested in signing Quansah and have already held talks with the player’s representatives over a potential swoop.
However, Arsenal are also considering signing a new defender following William Saliba’s injury and have identified Quansah as an alternative in-case they fail to purchase their primary target Ezri Konsa.
The Gunners don’t want to match Aston Villa’s valuation of Konsa, so they have started exploring alternatives and have already held talks with Leverkusen to sign the 23-year-old.
Battle
The report state that Leverkusen paid £30m to sign Quansah and want more than that sum to sell him this summer, but ideally they don’t want to part ways with him. Liverpool had a £68m buyback clause, but that has expired, and they have a £51m option in 12 months.
Although Arsenal hold an advantage in this race due to their very good relationship with Leverkusen, the valuation gap between the North London club and the German side remains significant. So, this is a boost for Man Utd to sign Quansah.
However, having come through Liverpool’s youth system, there is a question mark over whether he would want to move to Old Trafford.
Quansah has shown glimpses of his qualities in the Bundesliga in recent times; as a result, he secured his place in England’s World Cup squad.
Therefore, he might be a shrewd acquisition for Arsenal or Man Utd should either club eventually…
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