Quansah plays down Arsenal links as 'race is on' for defender

Jarell Quansah has moved to play down talk of a move away from Bayer Leverkusen, despite continued interest from Arsenal and Chelsea in the England international.

The 23 year old, who joined Leverkusen from Liverpool for £30million in July 2025, has become a key figure under new head coach Carles Martinez Novell, starting all but one of the club's Bundesliga matches this season. Quansah helped Liverpool win the Premier League title before his move to Germany and has continued to establish himself as a regular in Thomas Tuchel's England squad.

Arsenal made an unsuccessful £55.5million bid for Quansah last month, with Leverkusen rejecting the offer, according to a report from Bild. The German outlet claims the race for his signature is still on, with Arsenal continuing to monitor the situation alongside Chelsea and Real Madrid, both of whom are said to have made initial enquiries. Liverpool retain an option to buy Quansah back for £67.5million in June 2027.

Quansah stays focused amid speculation

Asked whether the transfer talk provided extra motivation ahead of Leverkusen's Champions League trip to face OFI Crete, Quansah gave a measured response.

'I only have to focus on playing the season, playing as many games as I can and trying to improve. That's all I can do,' he said. 'If I'm in the conversation then that's for another day but we've got a massively important game and it's another step to becoming a better player.'

'That's the way I'm looking at it at the moment. You can't get too ahead of yourself because anything could be around the corner. I'm just trying to stay levelheaded and keep pushing.'

A versatile option in top form

Quansah has spent much of this season at right back for Leverkusen, with Facundo Medina and Edmond Tapsoba established as the club's preferred centre back pairing. Despite that, he insists he is content with the role and sees it as part of his development.

'Of course it's a good option for me,' Quansah said. 'I do joke about it a little bit but I know I'm capable of playing there, I know I can affect the game going forward. Maybe a few years ago I was pigeonholed into being a centre back because that's all I'd ever known but the last couple of years have opened my eyes a bit to knowing what I'm capable of.'

Leverkusen go into the OFI Crete fixture on the back of five consecutive wins in all competitions, including a 4-0 victory over Lech Poznan in their opening Champions League group match. Quansah described the mood in the camp as positive, pointing to defensive and attacking improvements under the new coaching setup.

Arsenal's interest in Quansah appears unlikely to cool given his versatility across both full back and centre back positions, though any fresh move would need to overcome Leverkusen's resistance to selling, as well as competition from Chelsea and Real Madrid.