French insight on Jérémy Jacquet amid Chelsea interest and €50m bid rejected

Insight from France 

In one of the most enthralling Deadline Day stories, Rennes’ young defender Jérémy Jacquet is set to undergo a medical ahead of his proposed move to Liverpool in the summer. The 20-year-old is set to sign a contract until 2031 with the club, with the option to extend by 12 months, and is scheduled to land in the north west of England to undergo his medical on Monday. The deal is expected to be worth around €60 million plus €5m in add-ons, with personal terms not set to be an issue. Chelsea had previously made Jacquet their priority target during the January window and aimed to beat competition from several European giants to his signature.

Liverpool came so close to signing England defender Marc Guéhi on Deadline Day of the summer transfer window from Crystal Palace, but a deal fell through and the centre-back has subsequently joined Manchester City this January. Liverpool view Jacquet as being a more valuable long-term acquisition than Guehi in their model, hence the push to sign the France youth international. The 20-year-old has been exceptional in Ligue 1 this season for Rennes. With insight from France, we’ve provided analysis on the talented defender.

Who is Jérémy Jacquet?

The Paris-born defender joined Rennes’ youth ranks in 2019 and made his professional debut against Nice in January 2024. Just days later, Jacquet was loaned out to Clermont to gain first-team experience in Ligue 1 but he was unable to help them avoid relegation. The centre-back remained at Clermont in Ligue 2 before Rennes paid over €1m to cancel the loan deal in January, so he could return. Jacquet has been a virtual ever-present since and he’s been a regular for France’s U21 and could push for a place in Didier Deschamps’ World Cup squad.

On Jaquet’s development, Ronan Caroff, Ligue 1 expert at Transfermarkt said: “In the past year, Jérémy Jacquet has continued to rise in hype, going from an early comeback of a Ligue 2 loan to rumours of a possible club record fee. In Rennes’ central defense that was fully rebuilt the previous winter, Jacquet is the option that coach Habib Beye relies the most on, and the third most used player behind goalkeeper Brice Samba and captain Valentin Rongier.”

Why Liverpool want Jérémy Jacquet

Jacquet possesses exceptional physical characteristics and he can dominate defenders in duels, so should acclimatise well to the Premier League. The Frenchman is also very assured in possession and he’s comfortable playing in a back-three or four. Naturally, there’s still room for improvement in Jacquet’s game and his tendency to try and dominate physically can lead to him being overly rash.

But is he ready to play for a leading Premier League club? “There’s still a significant gap between one year of solid Ligue 1 performances in the Premier League,” added Caroff. “Especially with such a big price tag for a 20 year old. He’s quite fast and good in aerial duels, which is compatible with the Premier League but I would say he’s probably still a bit fresh for such a big club.”