Chelsea have made Bayer Leverkusen defender Quansah a potential January transfer target as Mauricio Pochettino looks to strengthen a defence that has endured a difficult start to the Premier League season.
According to football.london, Chelsea have yet to keep a clean sheet and have conceded more goals than any other side. Only two teams have scored fewer goals than the Blues so far this season.
German newspaper Bild reports that Chelsea have contacted Bayer Leverkusen to ask about the availability of Quansah, whose contract at the BayArena runs until June 2030.
The 23-year-old is also attracting interest from Real Madrid. Bild says the Spanish club has previously been “very interested” in Quansah and is “following his performance in Germany very closely”.
Pochettino is reportedly keen to sign at least two defenders in January, with Quansah identified as one of his targets.
Liverpool are another possible destination. The Reds sold Quansah to Bayer Leverkusen for £35 million in August 2023, but German media reports that Liverpool could activate a buy-back clause before June 2027. That would allow them to re-sign the England defender for €70 million (£59.8 million), potentially setting a benchmark for his value.
Chelsea debate Quansah move
Football.london journalists have questioned whether signing Quansah should be Chelsea’s priority.
One view is that Quansah would be an unnecessary addition unless Wesley Fofana leaves Stamford Bridge. Aranskold is considered capable of deputising for Fofana on the right side of Pochettino’s back three, and Chelsea should focus on improving their starting XI rather than adding squad depth.
The same analysis suggested Tomas Araujo of Benfica would be a more convincing option. At 24, Araujo was described as one of the most talented defenders in world football and a potentially smart Premier League signing.
Quansah is regarded as further developed than Aranskold, but the latter is considered to have greater potential. Chelsea’s hierarchy has reportedly rated Aranskold highly for several years, meaning a move for Quansah could appear to contradict that belief.
However, Quansah is also recognised as a versatile defender who is performing strongly for Bayer Leverkusen and already has extensive Premier League experience from his time with Liverpool.
The discussion also highlighted Chelsea’s midfield problems. The club’s failure to find a replacement for Enzo Fernandez, combined with Romain Caratheus’s failed move from Monaco to Stamford Bridge, has complicated Pochettino’s midfield plans.
Moise Kean’s absence was described as a warning that Chelsea cannot rely on one player to make the midfield function. The club should first recruit a player capable of controlling matches both with and without the ball.
Chelsea’s defensive weaknesses may ease if the midfield is strengthened, but if Pochettino does pursue a centre-back, the priority should be a world-class player who can raise the team’s level, in the same way Virgil van Dijk did after joining Liverpool.
