Liverpool swooped in and secured a deadline-day transfer ahead of Chelsea, believing Jeremy Jacquet would get more minutes at Anfield.
Jeremy Jaquet chose Liverpool over Chelsea
Jeremy Jacquet has opted for a move to Liverpool over Chelsea as the Rennes centre-half looks for a better path to the first team at Anfield.
The young French defender is highly regarded and was on the Blues’ radar late in the January transfer window. Liverpool joined the race later in the day to secure a £60m deal, with Jacquet himself considering the Reds as a place to play more regularly.
Chelsea were offered exactly the same deal as Liverpool, but the last 48 hours were crucial in the Rennes defender choosing Anfield over Stamford Bridge ahead of a summer move.
Sky Sports reported that when Jaquet learned that Mamadou Sarr would return to Chelsea from his loan spell with Strasbourg and that Josh Acheampong would stay, he thought Liverpool would be a better destination given the number of young centre-backs in Chelsea’s squad.
At the time of writing, the deal has not been officially confirmed and Liverpool face no pressure to complete the move before Monday’s 7pm deadline.
read more: Transfers completed for all 20 Premier League clubs as January window closesread more: Arne Slott’s instant Liverpool transfer solution announced by Jamie Carragher on deadline day request
The Blues also have Trevor Chalobah, Wesley Fofana, Tosin Adarabioyo, Benoît Badiashile, Aaron Anselmino and Jorel Hato in their first-team squad. Levi Colwill is also expected to return from injury, meaning a number of players will miss out on selection.
Liverpool, on the other hand, are short on centre-backs and could be left with even fewer options in the summer. They currently have Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Joe Gomez and Giovanni Leoni, but Konate’s contract is coming to an end and will expire in the summer.
The Reds missed out on Marc Guehi in the summer and are now set to look elsewhere after seeing the Crystal Palace star leave for rivals Manchester City. Liverpool weren’t expecting to spend much this month, but they seized the opportunity.
Mamadou Sarr recalled from Strasbourg by Chelsea (Image: Sathire Kelpa/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)
The deal is expected to work well for all parties, with Rennes hoping to keep Jaquet at the French club as they compete for Champions League qualification until the end of the season.
“We negotiated the transfer, got the amount the club wanted, respected the player’s wishes, and decided to sign him for the rest of the season. The club he joins will offer him Champions League football,” team manager Habib Bayet said.
The 20-year-old primarily plays as a right-sided centre-back, but occasionally plays at right-back. Jacquet was outstanding as France reached the final of last year’s European Under-19 Championship.
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