Liverpool make Jarell Quansah decision amid Newcastle transfer interest
- Jarell Quansah has been tipped to make a move to Newcastle
- The Liverpool centre-back was reportedly of interest to the Magpies last summer
- Newcastle have also been linked with Liverpool's Joe Gomez
Liverpool have decided to keep centre-back Jarell Quansah despite supposed transfer interest from Newcastle United, reports state.
The Magpies have been linked with a move for Quansah since he was originally included in an ambitious swap deal which also involved Anthony Gordon heading to Merseyside last summer. That move ultimately broke down, but Newcastle's interest in Liverpool's 22-year-old defender has not subsided, with recent reports suggesting that Eddie Howe's Carabao Cup champions are lining up a £30m offer.
Quansah, however, is set to stay put,The Athletic report, with the England international described as being "part of Liverpool's plans" for next season despite his limited involvement this term.
After hooking Quansah at half-time in the opening game of the season, Arne Slot has handed the versatile defender just one subsequent Premier League start - which, coincidentally, was against Newcastle in December.
Ibrahima Konate has been Virgil van Dijk's first-choice centre-back partner this term, yet the future of both defenders is riddled with uncertainty. Konate has been linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain as he approaches the final year of his Liverpool contract while Van Dijk is hurtling towards free agency this summer.
Joe Gomez's chronic fitness issues hamper his reliability, making Liverpool even more reluctant to lose another central defender in the coming window.
When a move for Quansah fell through last summer, Gomez was put forward as the makeweight in a second attempt at bringing Gordon to Liverpool in a swap deal. However, a second report from The Athletic claims that Newcastle are unlikely to make another bid for the 28-year-old this year.
Circumstances have changed - the Magpies are no longer so fearful of breaking the Premier League's strict financial regulations - and Gomez was never the first choice. Whether Liverpool would be prepared to sell the current squad's longest-serving player is less certain.
Quansah is said to remain on Newcastle's "long list" of summer targets, but he won't be cheap. The Athletic claim that the £30m figure floated is wide of the mark. The North-Eastern outfit reportedly valued Quansah at £50m last summer and his price tag has only grown after another season as a regular squad option for the Premier League champions elect.
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