Chelsea receive official Jeremy Jacquet transfer message

Stade Rennais boss Habib Beye has urged the club to reject Chelsea’s bid to sign Jeremy Jacquet this month.

The France U21 international has been earmarked as Chelsea’s priority target for the January transfer window and the Premier League giants have already reached an agreement on personal terms with the central defender.

Jacquet has informed Rennes of his desire to secure a Stamford Bridge switch before the end of Transfer Deadline Day on 2 February, with Chelsea pushing to finalise a deal with his current employers.

Widespread reports have confirmed Rennes are demanding a club-record fee of at least €65 million to sanction a sale this month, and the Blues are locked in negotiations as they look to lower this potential outlay.

Chelsea were expected to wait until this summer before bolstering their ranks with another centre-back, however they are now pushing to bring Jacquet to the club this winter in a bid to help Liam Rosenior navigate a congested fixture schedule.

Although Chelsea are determined to reach an agreement to bring Jacquet to west London, Beye has urged Rennes to reject a winter sale.

Jeremy Jacquet transfer message

“I believe Jeremy is very important to our objectives, and if he were to leave, we would have to lower those objectives, because he’s a key player for us, one of the best on our team,” Beye told RMC Sport.

“We have to be able to resist this kind of approach. There are several factors beyond my control in this matter. We’ll see what happens in the coming days.”

Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United have also been linked with a move for Jacquet in recent months, but Chelsea have firmly emerged as the frontrunners for his signature and the Frenchman is eager to complete a move to the reigning Club World Cup winners this month.

Jacquet, 20, has made just 29 senior appearances for Rennes and his Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) currently stands at €17.8m.

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