Chelsea showing interest in signing £59.5m star who’s now refusing to join Liverpool
Chelsea made major improvements at the back during the summer, signing Maxence Lacroix from Crystal Palace and Emiliano Martinez from Aston Villa, but it would be fair to say their transfer business is yet to pay dividends.
In fact, Xabi Alonso is yet to get a clean sheet on the board in the Premier League, and his side have shipped 12 goals in their opening five matches, which is likely to be a concern for the former Real Madrid manager, although it is still early days.
|
Chelsea’s Premier League opponents |
Result |
Date |
|
Fulham (a) |
2-3 W |
August 24 |
|
Brighton (h) |
4-3 W |
August 30 |
|
Arsenal (a) |
2-1 L |
September 6 |
|
Hull City (h) |
2-2 D |
September 12 |
|
Brentford (a) |
3-0 L |
September 18 |
Alonso certainly hasn’t pulled any punches when talking about his backline, and made it clear he is actively working on a solution, saying: “It’s very difficult not to concede any goals, but we can do better.
“We are critical. We are analytical about how we can improve. I have the feeling it will get better, but at the moment it’s not been good enough.”
However, things need to change sooner rather than later, considering they haven’t kept a clean sheet in the Premier League since the beginning of 2026.
Of course, Alonso will be hoping for some improved defensive showings between now and the January transfer window, but a new centre-back is now in the west Londoners’ sights, and they could hold an advantage over Premier League rivals Liverpool.
Chelsea keen on signing Jarell Quansah
According to a report from Football Insider, Chelsea are now showing interest in signing Bayer Leverkusen defender Jarell Quansah, who has no interest in re-joining Liverpool, after leaving the club in the summer of 2025.
The Reds inserted a £59.5m buy-back clause in the deal, but Quansah is reluctant to return, having struggled to hold down a regular place in the starting XI during his time at Anfield.
As such, the England international would prefer to join a different club, and there is no shortage of potential suitors, with Real Madrid even named as an interested party, while Arsenal looked at making a move during the summer.
Although the 23-year-old found consistent game time difficult to come by at Liverpool, he did manage to impress at times when given the opportunity, with journalist Bence Bocsak lauding him for an “incredible” display in a 3-1 victory against Burnley.
The former Liverpool man also featured for England as a right-back at the World Cup, although content creator Zaan believes he is better suited to playing in the middle, saying: “I watched Quansah for England and I definitely see him more as an RCB than a RB even if he can cover there.
“He’s really strong in the air, wins his duels and has so much confidence in his ball-playing ability.”
As such, Quansah could be a solid addition to Alonso’s backline, but there is still a few months before the January transfer window opens, and the hope will be that there is no need to sign another centre-back.
