Liverpool beat Chelsea to agree big-money Jeremy Jacquet move

Liverpool and Chelsea have been competing for the signature of Jeremy Jacquet and it looks like the Reds have won the race.

The Rennes defender has become one of the most sought after young talents in Europe, with Bayern Munich also holding an interest in him.

The 20-year-old made his professional debut for Rennes in January 2024 and after a loan spell with Clermont has returned to be a fixture in the first team.

Jacquet is yet to be capped by the France senior team, but has played up to Under-21 level and starred in the 2024 European Under-19 Championship, being named in the Team of the Tournament.

The Frenchman is now set for Liverpool, with The Athletic reporting that they have agreed a deal with Rennes for his signature.

The centre-back will not be arriving before the winter transfer window closes, though, instead joining the Reds in June.

The report states that the deal will be worth £55m plus £5m in add-ons and personal terms have not been a problem.

It is a boost for next season at Anfield, but does not solve their current problems at the back, where they have been hit by a string of injuries.

They are very short at right-back as Jeremie Frimpong and Conor Bradley are both out injured, meaning Dominik Szoboszlai played on the right of defence against Newcastle on Saturday.

Joe Gomez is also out, leaving Arne Slot’s options at centre-back pretty minimal beyond the first choice pairing of Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate.

Liverpool identified centre-back as an area they needed to strengthen in the summer and agreed a move for Marc Guehi, but the deal collapsed at the end of the window and he has since moved to Manchester City.

Facing the media last week, Rennes head coach Habib Beye made it clear he did not want to lose ‘one of the best players’ in his team at the midway point of the campaign.

‘I believe that today he is a very important player for our objectives,’ Beye told reporters when asked if Jacquet could be on his way out of the club.

‘If tomorrow we were to let him go, we would have to lower our expectations.

Speaking earlier this month, Rennes boss Habib Beye was keen to keep hold of Jacquet, which he will do for the rest of the season before he departs.

‘When you have offers from such a club, it can make things a little hesitant,’ said the former Newcastle and Aston Villa player. ‘I’m very firm on this situation. He is an essential player for us.’

He added: ‘He is one of the best players in our team and so we have to resist that approach,’ the ex-Newcastle and Aston Villa full-back added.

‘There are several factors I don’t control in all of this. We’ll see what happens in the coming days.’