Jarell Quansah will join Bayer Leverkusen this month in a deal worth £35 million, with reports in Germany claiming the buy-back fee Liverpool have agreed.
Quansah is set to undergo a medical with the Bundesliga runners-up following his time with England at the U21 Euros, with a semi-final against the Netherlands set for Wednesday evening.
That comes after Liverpool agreed a deal worth an initial £30 million, with a further £5 million in add-ons, to part with their academy graduate.
Sources in Germany have disputed the initial fee, however, with claims it is instead around €30 million (£25.7m) with the remainder made up of bonus payments.
Though there is a surprise around Liverpool’s willingness to move Quansah on, it comes with it now widely reported that a buy-back clause will be included in the deal.
According to BILD‘s Phillip Arens that will be set at over €60 million (£51.4m).
That would mean Liverpool can re-sign Quansah in the future for just over £15 million more than his transfer to the BayArena will be worth.
Club pathways staff will monitor the 22-year-old’s progress at Leverkusen as he could still be considered a long-term option for their defence.
However, recent history shows that the inclusion of a buy-back clause is no guarantee that Liverpool will seek to bring a player back.
Such clauses were negotiated into the sales of Rhian Brewster, Jordon Ibe and Brad Smith, with those terms allowed to expire, while a return for Bobby Clark is unlikely to be considered either.
Speaking to journalists including Henry Winter while on duty together with the England U21s, Liverpool midfielder Tyler Morton explained his belief that Quansah is “seriously ready” for senior starting football.
“I’m the biggest fan of Jarell. I’ve known him since I was four, probably played with him since I was five,” Morton said.
“I’ve seen him grow up, seen him develop and he’s ready now. I know he’s been ready for a while, but he’s seriously ready now.
“He’s not always been the biggest lad so he had to use his brain when he was younger and now he’s grown into his stature and he’s a big defender.
“He’s showing how good his brain is and how strong physically he’s developed.
“He’s an exceptional footballer and it’s more brain than anything else. He’s clever, he knows when to step in, when to play the normal pass, when to give it.
“I love a defender who speaks behind me and Jarell tells me what to do. It’s what you need as a midfielder sometimes.”
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