Newcastle United are plotting an audacious move for Liverpool centre-back Jarell Quansah, according to the Times.
The Magpies are preparing for a massive squad shake-up this summer, and Quansah is among several players on their radar.
The 22-year-old centre-back has four years left on his Liverpool contract, but he’s seen as an ideal addition to bolster Eddie Howe’s backline.
Newcastle have struggled to dig into the vast oil wealth of their Saudi ownership over the past few years.
However, having spent the last three transfer windows sorting out their finances, they may not have to worry too much about breaching the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) this summer.
A right-sided centre-back is high on their priority list, and Quansah reportedly has plenty of admirers among the St James’ Park hierarchy.
Newcastle are reportedly willing to test Liverpool’s resolve with a bid of around £30 million plus add-ons.
The England youth international is currently valued at around £18m on Transfermarket, but Liverpool rate him very highly and could easily demand a fee much higher than Newcastle’s budget.
They already tried luring Quansah away from Anfield last summer but were rebuffed.
Despite being valued as one of the best talents to come through Liverpool’s academy in recent years, Quansah has struggled to break into Arne Slot’s first team.
He has featured just 22 times across all competitions this season, but only 10 have come in the Premier League, with the youngster behind Ibrahima Konate in the pecking order.
He played 90 minutes at right back in the League Cup final defeat against the Magpies but has only started in two of his 10 Premier League outings this term.
With first-team minutes hard to come by at Liverpool, a move to Tyneside could be a tempting prospect for the youngster, who was recently called up to Thomas Tuchel’s England squad.
He would link up with Tino Livramento, Lewis Hall and Anthony Gordon, who have developed into full England internationals under Howe’s leadership.
