‘Ridiculous!’ – Liverpool branded ‘suckers’ for spending £60m on Chelsea target Jacquet

France World Cup winner Christophe Dugarry has congratulated Rennes for managing to tempt a ‘sucker’ like Liverpool into spending such a ‘ridiculous’ fee on Jeremy Jacquet.

Liverpool put weeks of speculation to bed on deadline day as they confirmed that a deal had been struck for Jacquet, a player widely considered to be among the most promising young defenders in French football.

It’s understood the two clubs eventually shook hands on an agreement worth around £55million – plus £5m in add-ons – for the France Under-21 international.

Earlier in the window, Chelsea established themselves as the clear frontrunners to prise Jacquet away from Rennes, even agreeing personal terms with the highly rated 20-year-old.

But there had been a reluctance within Chelsea’s hierarchy to splash out in excess of £50m on the inexperienced centre-back and the Club World Cup holders instead opted to recall Mamadou Sarr from Strasbourg.

The Blues’ determination to keep hold of academy graduate Josh Acheampong was another factor in Jacquet’s eventual preference for Anfield over Stamford Bridge.

However, Jacquet will spend the remainder of the campaign in Ligue 1 with Rennes and Arne Slot will not be able to call upon Jacquet until next summer.

‘I am honoured to sign for Liverpool, one of the greatest football institutions in the world,’ Jacquet said in a statement on Rennes’ official website.

‘It was also very important for me to finish my time in red and black [Rennes] on a high, at my boyhood club, the club of my heart.

‘I’m approaching this second half of the season with the desire to experience some great moments with my team-mates and the fans.’

While there is no doubting Jacquet’s talent, eyebrows have been raised across the Channel at the size of the fee spent on a player who is enjoying only their second full season of senior football.

Addressing Liverpool’s deal for Jacquet on RMC radio show ‘Rothen s’enflamme’, ex-Barcelona, AC Milan and France forward Dugarry said: ‘This isn’t meant to offend the player, honestly, he’s not to blame at all, and we wish him all the best because he’s a good player.

‘But when you have suckers like that… well done to Rennes

‘Rennes managed to find a sucker like Liverpool that was [willing to pay] €70 million (£60m).’

According to Dugarry, there is ‘no justification whatsoever’ for Liverpool spending as much as they have done on a player like Jacquet, still in the infancy of their career.

‘Let them continue, all these English clubs, sending tens of millions of euros,’ the 1998 World Cup champion added.

‘This isn’t just a two-tiered football situation anymore, it’s a football that’s lost its mind.

‘Let’s stop trying to pretend there’s a justification for it. There’s no justification whatsoever.’

While reiterating that he meant no disrespect towards Jacquet, Dugarry suggested the youngster would likely find himself under an unfair amount of ‘pressure’ when he arrives on Merseyside.

‘Poor Jacquet, this transfer is going to put a lot of pressure on him,’ he went on.

‘Even him, the poor kid, who is certainly a very good player, is going to arrive with so much pressure.

‘His performances will be viewed differently, even though he doesn’t deserve it.

‘Those of us who know football, let’s not try to justify this amount by saying it’s because Liverpool has money or whatever. It’s meaningless!

Dugarry concluded: ‘I don’t know what’s going on. It’s ridiculous! No, it’s not supply and demand. It’s ridiculous! It’s ridiculous!’

For more stories like this, check our sport page.

Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.