Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that Liverpool have agreed a deal with Rennes to sign Jeremy Jacquet in the Summer, as Chelsea miss out on signing the French defender. Both the Premier League clubs were Seriously Interested in signing the player and agreeing a deal with Rennes to bring the player to their club in the summer. The transfer saga is similar to the Moises Caicedo one in 2023, which saw Chelsea and Liverpool locked in an intense battle to sign Caicedo from Brighton. Chelsea ended up winning that battle by signing Caicedo from Brighton for a then record £115 million ($146m), However, this time around, Liverpool have beaten Chelsea to sign the player.
Jeremy Jacquet is widely seen as one of the best young centre backs in the world, and he's already played 18 games for Rennes this season despite being just 20 years old
Liverpool transfer news: Big blow for Chelsea as Jeremy Jacquet chooses The Reds
Fabrizio Romano confirms in his report that Liverpool have wrapped up a deal for highly rated defender Jeremy Jacquet, with everything now agreed for him to join the club in June 2026. The Reds will pay Rennes an initial €60 million, with a further €10 million in performance-related add-ons. Personal terms have already been settled, meaning Jacquet’s future is secured well in advance as Liverpool plan ahead for the coming seasons.
Our opinion on Jeremy Jacquet rejecting Chelsea and joining Liverpool in the summer
We feel that Jeremy Jacquet has made the right choice by choosing Liverpool over Chelsea as his next chapter to turn into a world-class footballer. Liverpool is a more stable club then Chelsea, and offers him a better chance to grow as well. At Liverpool, he'll also get to learn from the likes of Virgil Van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate (if he decides to stay Chelsea), which is something he'll never get at Chelsea due to the club's transfer policy of only signing young players who have a great market value potential. Moreover, the transfer is sure to be welcome news for Liverpool fans who were heartbroken by the club missing out on Marc Guéhi.
The only drawback for Liverpool we feel is that the player will only arrive in the summer. Arne Slot's side desperately need a defender ASAP before this January Transfer Window ends due to their injury crisis in defense. If the Reds neglect bringing in a defensive reinforcement and end up missing Champions League because of that by the season end, then it'll be almost impossible for Liverpool to attract other top-quality signings similar to Jeremy Jacquet when the 2026 Summer Transfer Window opens.
