Leverkusen signs England Under-21 defender Jarell Quansah from Liverpool

LEVERKUSEN, Germany (AP) — Bayer Leverkusen has replaced former captain Jonathan Tah with Jarell Quansah from Liverpool in a club-record signing for a defender.

The 22-year-old Quansah signed a contract through June 2030 and will wear Tah’s former No. 4 shirt, the Bundesliga club said Wednesday.

The reported fee of more than 30 million euros ($35.3 million) rising to 40 million ($47 million) with bonuses corresponds roughly with what Liverpool agreed to pay Leverkusen for Netherlands right back Jeremie Frimpong in May.

Liverpool reportedly secured a buy-back option for Quansah for more than 60 million euros ($70.6 million) after he has spent two seasons at Leverkusen.

Leverkusen also sold star player Florian Wirtz to Liverpool last month for a Bundesliga-record fee.

Tah switched to league rival Bayern Munich once the season concluded after declining to extend his contract. He had spent a decade at Leverkusen and was a key part of the team which won the Bundesliga and German Cup unbeaten in 2023-24.

Quansah won the Under-21 European Championship with England last week. But he was unable to establish himself as a regular starter at Liverpool ahead of Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate.

“One of the most promising English central defenders. He’s fast, agile, a good footballer,” Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes said of Quansah.

“He has already made an impressive impact in a Liverpool defense dominated by world-class players. With Jarell, our defense gains significant dynamism, pace and toughness in tackling, and he’s another very important building block."

Rolfes is overseeing huge changes at Leverkusen following coach Xabi Alonso’s departure for Real Madrid.

Wirtz, Tah and Frimpong have all left, and Rolfes has been signing promising young players to make up for their departures.

Leverkusen last week signed Abdoulaye Faye for a reported fee of 3 million euros ($3.5 million) from Swedish team BK Hacken, with the 20-year-old Senegalese defender expected to go on loan for the upcoming season.

Previously, Leverkusen announced the signings of France youth international Axel Tape on a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain’s under-19 team, 19-year-old Ibrahim Maza from Hertha Berlin, and 21-year-old defender Tim Oermann from relegated Bochum. Oermann was promptly loaned to Austrian champion Sturm Graz for the season.

Leverkusen also signed Netherlands goalkeeper Mark Flekken from Brentford, while former Manchester United coach Erik ten Hag was appointed as Alonso’s replacement.

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