Virgil van Dijk and Luis Diaz react to Jarell Quansah amid Leverkusen links
Virgil van Dijk and Luis Diaz have reacted to a message from Liverpool teammate Jarell Quansah following reports of Bayer Leverkusen’s interest in his services.
Liverpool recently secured a second Premier League triumph in Arne Slot’s debut season in charge, and young centre-back Quansah played his part in their success to win the first title of his career.
The 22-year-old joined the Reds’ youth set-up at the age of five, and he has worked his way through their age group sides to become a highly-rated academy product over the last few years.
His talents have seen him linked away from Anfield as he seeks a better guarantee of playing time and with the promise of pure profit on Liverpool’s books, and former scout Mick Brown told Football Insider in April that Quansah wants to join Newcastle United this summer.
He is yet to leave the Merseyside outfit, but has continued to be mooted with a move away while he has linked up with his international teammates as England aim to defend their U21 European Championship crown.
Virgil van Dijk and Luis Diaz react to Quansah’s message following England win
Newcastle are still believed to be interested in a move for Quansah [Chronicle Live], but he could leave Liverpool for the continent this summer with Bayer Leverkusen also weighing up a £40million move for his services, according to The Athletic.
The Warrington-born centre-back started England U21’s first game of their European Championship defence on Thursday (12 June) as they emerged 3-1 victors over Czechia U21, and he took to his Instagram page to react to the triumph with a message saying: “3 points to start the group stage!” alongside an England flag emoji.
His post was reacted to by a number of his Liverpool teammates, with Van Dijk, Diaz, Curtis Jones, Conor Bradley and Wataru Endo all liking the message, while his Three Lions compatriots Omari Hutchinson, Elliot Anderson and fellow England and Reds youngster Tyler Morton also followed suit.
Quansah should leave Liverpool to further his own career this summer
Football Insider verdict
Football Insider revealed in February that Liverpool want to sign a new centre-back in the summer window, which would likely push the 22-year-old down Slot’s pecking order at the heart of his defence ahead of next term.
He made just four league starts last season as the Reds romped to the title, and former scout Brown revealed to Football Insider in May that Slot would be open to letting Quansah leave in the coming months, so a move seems pretty realistic this summer.
| Appearances | Starts | Yellow Cards |
| 25 | 13 | 3 |
Quansah is undoubtedly a talented defender, as proven by his role in the Reds’ success in only his second season as a top-flight player, but his chances are surely set to be at a premium going forward, especially after Sporting CP star Goncalo Inacio was linked with a move to Anfield by Football Insider’s Pete O’Rourke.
The 22-year-old has already been called up to Thomas Tuchel’s senior England squad, despite representing the U21’s this summer, and so if he harbours any ambitions of being on the plane for the 2026 World Cup in the USA, he needs to leave Liverpool soon to join a club that is going to trust him to play every week at the highest level.