Liverpool star Van Dijk loves ‘close’ to leaving Anfield for £30m

Premier League champions Liverpool are ‘close’ to agreeing a fee with Bayer Leverkusen for young centre-back Jarell Quansah, according to reports.Quansah made his Liverpool debut in August 2023 against Newcastle United and has since made 58 appearances for his boyhood club.However, he has struggled for regular playing time, featuring in only 13 Premier League matches during the 2024/25 season.His potential move to Bayer Leverkusen comes as the German club looks to replace Jonathan Tah, who recently joined Bayern Munich on a free transfer.Quansah is currently participating in the Under-21 European Championship with England while the two clubs and his representatives work to finalise the transfer.MORE: Ten explosive debuts against former clubs guaranteed by Premier League opening weekend fixturesSky Sports journalist Lyall Thomas reports that negotiations between Leverkusen and Arne Slot’s side are ‘advanced’, with ‘an agreement close’.Liverpool initially set an asking price of £40million, but Bayer’s record signing is Kerem Demirbay, who joined for around £25m in 2019 — so they were unlikely to meet that figure.Quansah’s move would be worth at least £25m, potentially making him Leverkusen’s most expensive signing.It is emphasised that this deal is ‘separate’ from Florian Wirtz’s £117m transfer from Leverkusen to Liverpool, which is expected to be finalised this week.MORE LIVERPOOL NEWS ON F365👉 Liverpool star ‘open’ to joining Euro giants but Reds ‘valuation’ blocking transfer👉 ‘Badly exposed’ Trent slammed by Spanish press after ‘failing to contribute’ on Real Madrid debut👉 Liverpool in ‘active talks’ over £30m defender in third Bayer Leverkusen deal ‘separate from Wirtz’Quansah only signed a five-year contract extension last October but has ‘verbally agreed personal terms with Leverkusen’, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.Romano says Erik ten Hag’s side are expected to receive ‘£30m plus add-ons’ for the 22-year-old.He wrote on X: “Jarell Quansah has verbally agreed personal terms with Bayer Leverkusen! Bayer and Liverpool are closing in on permanent deal, understand it will be worth £30m plus add-ons for the defender.”Speaking on international duty with England Under-21s, Quansah suggested that he may need to leave Liverpool to progress his career.“I’m in a very good position to take the next step and it just comes with working hard and staying focused on what I can control,” he said.Quansah is highly rated at Anfield, and his departure would make signing a new centre-back even more important for Premier League-winning head coach Arne Slot.After a 1-1 draw against Manchester City in March 2024, Reds captain Virgil van Dijk praised his team-mate, stating that ‘the sky is the limit’.“I think for himself as well, when he came in for pre-season, coming back from loan, I don’t think he would have thought he’d be playing for the title,” Van Dijk said.“He is starting, he’s been important. Every challenge that was thrown his way, he dealt with outstandingly.“The sky is the limit. He just has to stay humble and keep working hard, keep improving, because there will be a lot of bumps along the road as well.”READ NEXT: Liverpool signings mean 25/26 title in bag as Man City ‘gutting team of leaders’