Jarell Quansah left for Bayer Leverkusen this summer in a deal worth £35 million, but future contract terms have already been agreed with the centre-back should his buy-back clause be triggered.
With game time under Arne Slot not guaranteed, the 22-year-old left permanently for Germany this summer but Liverpool, as they do with their young players, inserted a buy-back clause.
It means a return in the future is possible should Liverpool trigger the clause, which is worth €60 million (£52m) and active from 2027.
Notably, the Mail‘s Lewis Steele reports that “a pre-existing agreement” is already in place with Quansah “over the terms of a future contract,” should the club decide to use their clause.
Steele notes that Liverpool “only sold him because it seemed like good money and the Englishman wanted to play every week,” and the changes forthcoming at centre-back could inevitably open the door for a return.
If anything, it shows Liverpool’s faith in Quansah’s ability to continue his development in Germany, where he has started and played 90 minutes in all three of Leverkusen’s opening games.
The manager he signed for, Erik ten Hag, however, has already been sacked as Leverkusen seek to bounce back from having key players and Xabi Alonso poached by clubs across Europe.
With Virgil van Dijk closer to the end of his career, Ibrahima Konate out of contract next summer and Joe Gomez not a regular, the centre-back ranks will need attention even with Giovanni Leoni and an expected return for Marc Guehi.
Liverpool will be watching Quansah closely in the months and years to come, as they will with Harvey Elliott and Ben Doak after buy-back clauses were also inserted into their respective moves to Aston Villa and Bournemouth.
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While some will have questioned Liverpool sanctioning the abovementioned transfers, the club have put themselves in a strong position to allow each to develop while having a future opportunity to see them return.
It is not a common occurrence to trigger the clause, but it protects future interests while simultaneously offering what the club cannot in the short term, and that’s consistent first-team minutes.
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