Arsenal have explored the possibility of signing Bayer Leverkusen's Jarell Quansah, a £30 million ($40.6m) signing from Liverpool last summer, as an alternative to Aston Villa's Ezri Konsa. Leverkusen are thought to be reluctant to sell Quansah, having only signed him last summer.
Arsenal's interest in Quansah comes as they continue to pursue Konsa, who is valued by Villa at around £60m. The Gunners had previously indicated they were only willing to bid around half that price, which could prove a stumbling block in negotiations. Both Quansah and Konsa are versatile players who can play at right-back or centre-back, and have already shown their quality at the international level. Quansah made 44 appearances in his debut season for Leverkusen, while Konsa was part of Thomas Tuchel's England squad which secured a third-place finish at this summer's World Cup.