OUR NEW VVD Arne Slot ecstatic as Liverpool make star unavailable for sale ‘at any price’ and first signing

Liverpool are convinced they’ve unearthed a gem after making Jarell Quansah unavailable for sale at any price following a proposal from a Premier League rival, while Fabrizio Romano has confirmed the first Reds signing of the summer is close.

Quansah, now 21, joined Liverpool’s youth set-up all the way back in 2008 when aged just five. The towering centre-half enjoyed a breakthrough campaign last term when racking up 33 appearances across all competitions and receiving universal acclaim for his classy and composed displays.

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Indeed, Quansah was the preferred partner to Virgil van Dijk for much of the run-in after the youngster won his selection battle with Ibrahima Konate.

Quansah has continued to shine during pre-season and is understood to have made a big impression on new manager Arne Slot.

Quansah has generally partnered Sepp van den Berg in pre-season with Van Dijk, Konate and Joe Gomez unavailable following their Euro 2024 exploits.

The centre-back made a goal-saving block to deny Gabriel Jesus during the recent 2-1 victory over Arsenal. Quansah is already showing he can be the long-term answer in Liverpool’s rearguard.

However, Quansah was also the subject of a proposal from Newcastle when they and Liverpool discussed the transfer of Anthony Gordon back in June.

The Magpies offered Gordon to Liverpool for £100m. Once the Reds scoffed at that price tag, an £80m figure was floated which was also deemed too high.

Newcastle then proposed a cash-plus-player deal that would have greatly lowered the cost of the deal by including Quansah as a makeweight.

Jarell Quansah stance could nudge Joe Gomez out

Liverpool quickly rebuffed any such notion and per the Athletic, the Reds have made the defender unavailable for sale ‘at any price.’

The stance is a clear indication of just how highly Quansah is regarded at Anfield and could also be the catalyst that sparks Joe Gomez’s exit.

Once Liverpool ruled Quansah out, Gomez was put forward as the makeweight for the Gordon deal. A deal was agreed and medicals for both Gomez and Gordon were scheduled.

Liverpool would have paid £75m for Gordon and received £45m for Gomez. In effect, the transfer would have been Gomez plus £30m in exchange for

However, with the PSR deadline fast approaching at the time (late-June), Newcastle solved their financial conundrum by other means when selling Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest – £35m) and Yankuba Minteh (Brighton – £33m). The end result saw the Gomez/Gordon switch shelved.

But per the Daily Mail, Gomez is ready to quit Liverpool in search of regular game-time.

With Quansah now leapfrogging Gomez in the pecking order, Gomez is down to fourth for his favoured centre-back position and if the injuries abate, he’ll barely feature next season.

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Elsewhere, Fabrizio Romano has confirmed Liverpool are on the cusp of wrapping up their first signing of the summer.

The Reds are primed to land 16-year-old sensation Rio Ngumoha from Chelsea, much to the Blues’ dismay.

Various reports used the word ‘furious’ to describe Chelsea’s reaction to Liverpool’s raid. Ngumoha – a right-footed winger – is widely regarded as one of the brightest talents within the English youth system right now.

Taking to X, Romano stated: “Liverpool are finally set to complete Premier League five-step investigation process for Rio Ngumoha to join the club.

“2008-born talent has already agreed to the move after he left Chelsea, as revealed weeks ago. Exclusive story, set to be officially confirmed by Liverpool soon.”

News of signing a youth player won’t appease all Liverpool fans, with a sizeable chunk of the fanbase frustrated at Liverpool’s lack of movement in the window so far.

However, as Quansah has shown, investing in youth can pay huge dividends down the line and the hope is Ngumoha will make a similar level of impact in the near future.