‘Liverpool to lose out on Quansah profit thanks to UEFA rule’
Jarell Quansah looks to be on his way to Bayer Leverkusen but UEFA may stop Liverpool from earning the full financial benefit on the deal.
The two clubs are making a habit of doing transfers between each other, with the 22-year-old set to become the third player to move between Anfield and the BayArena this summer.
Jeremie Frimpong agreed to join Liverpool the day before the transfer window opened, and Florian Wirtz has completed his move to the Merseyside club for a record fee.
Transfer specialist David Ornstein revealed on X that Leverkusen are nearing an agreement with Liverpool, with talks of a deal being worth “north of €40million (£34.15m)” for Quansah to move the other way.
But football finance expert Stefan Borson has warned that due to UEFA’s rules on exchanging players, the Reds may lose out on registering the full profit for the defender.
Liverpool profit could be adjusted due to UEFA FFP
Borson replied to Ornstein’s post by saying there was a “good chance that Liverpool’s profit here is adjusted out for UEFA FFP under the player exchange rule.”
The rule he is referring to was published in UEFA‘s Club Licensing and Financial Sustainability Regulations in June 2024.
The rule states: “If the CFCB [Club Financial Control Body] has doubts about the value of any exchange transaction between the licensee and another party or other parties, it can request the licensee to adjust the proceeds resulting from the disposal of a player’s registration (for the calculation of the profit on disposal of the player’s registration for clubs using the capitalisation and amortisation method of accounting for player registrations) by considering the proceeds to be the lower of: 1. The actual transaction proceeds on disposal; and 2. The net book value in respect of the costs of the player’s registration in the licensee’s financial statements.”
Whilst some fans tried to justify that the fee for Quansah was at a fair market value, given his age and ability, Borson pointed out that it was largely irrelevant in this case.
The former investment banker instead pointed to the above rule, and suggested UEFA may wipe some of the profits as the transaction of Frimpong would make “player exchange qualification more likely” in conjunction with Wirtz’s.
Liverpool may put Quansah deal on hold if UEFA wipe PSR benefits
Football Insider Verdict
If Borson is correct, UEFA’s rules make it seem like he is, and Liverpool are at risk of losing financial benefits from selling Quansah, it is hard to see why the club would progress with the deal.
In a world where profits have never been so important, the long-term consequences would be significant for the club.
Given the club are in a strong financial position, they have the ability to pause the transfer without it affecting any of their other deals.
Liverpool are looking to sign Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace, and with the Eagles in need of a replacement for their captain, Quansah could be offered as part of the deal.
Alternatively, the Premier League champions may look to simply sell to another club, as the 22-year-old will have no shortage of suitors this month, with Quansah also previously eyed by Newcastle.
However, with Quansah having already agreed personal terms with Leverkusen, the two clubs may try and argue their case with UEFA in the hopes the governing body will decide not to penalise the Reds.