Defender Jeremy Jacquet has completed a £60m move from Rennes to Liverpool, signing a five-year deal at Anfield after successfully recovering from a shoulder injury that delayed his signing in January.
Jeremy Jacquet officially becomes a Liverpool player (Image: Liverpool FC)
Jeremy Jaquet has fully recovered from shoulder surgery and is expected to take part in Liverpool’s pre-season program starting later this month.
The centre-back’s move from Rennes was agreed in January and was made official on Wednesday.
The Reds will pay an initial £55m, plus £5m in add-ons, making him the second most expensive defender in Anfield history after Virgil van Dijk, who arrived from Southampton for £75m in January 2018.
Jaquet suffered a season-ending shoulder injury shortly after his summer transfer was confirmed on the eve of the transfer deadline earlier this year, but the 20-year-old has since completed his recovery and will be available immediately for manager Andoni Iraola.
Jaquet has signed a five-year contract with an option for a sixth year as he prepares to compete for a starting spot alongside Joe Gomez, Giovanni Leoni and club captain Van Dijk. According to the Liverpool Echo, the Dutchman is expected to take part in the summer tour of America after the Netherlands were eliminated in the last 32 of the World Cup on Monday.
Liverpool turned down interest from a number of European clubs, particularly Chelsea, in the winter transfer window, but the young defender is understood to be keen to learn from two-time Premier League winner Van Dijk, who celebrates his 35th birthday this month. Jacquet took an awkward fall in the second half of Rennes’ 3-1 Ligue 1 defeat to Reims in early February, after which he left the field in obvious pain until it was confirmed he needed surgery.
However, Jacquet, who underwent surgery a few weeks after the injury, returned to the pitch during the summer break and is working on a personalized training plan ahead of his arrival at the AXA training center later this month.
Jacket returns from injury (Image: Getty)
Jacquet joins 19-year-old Leoni 11 months after signing from Parma for just under £30m and believes Liverpool have acquired two of the best young defenders from France and Italy.
It is unclear how close Leoni is to recovering from the anterior cruciate ligament injury sustained on his debut against Southampton in the Carabao Cup last September. However, the young Italian has been back training in the AXA Center gym for some time now and an update is expected from new manager Iraola this month.
Jacquet joined the club on the same day that Real Madrid officially completed the signing of Ibrahima Konate, who left Liverpool as a free agent. The club have been in talks with the defender’s representatives for nearly two years but were unable to reach an agreement, with the France international joining the La Liga giants for free.
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