Record Chelsea signing unlocked by surprise England hero

Toulouse centre-back Charlie Cresswell could unlock Chelsea‘s signing of Stade Rennais wonderkid Jeremy Jacquet.

The Blues have made the French youth international their top January target, having already explored a move last summer. Jacquet has emerged as one of the standout talents in European football, and Chelsea believe that he can become Levi Colwill’s long-term partner in defence.

Jacquet is keen on the move and has already informed Rennes of his desire to head to Stamford Bridge. However, Chelsea have yet to reach a breakthrough in talks with their Ligue 1 counterparts due to the latters’ price tag.

Rennes believe that Jacquet is a generational talent and are demanding a fee to reflect that. They want to make the 20-year-old their new club-record sale, which means that Chelsea may have to end up paying well in excess of €60 million to secure his signature.

Another issue is that Jacquet has been virtually ever-present for Rennes this term, so they need to bring in an adequate replacement. With January slowly drawing to a close, this could prove increasingly difficult.

Cresswell to unlock Jacquet deal?

However, the Bretons seem to have a player in mind who could be capable of filling the shoes of Jacquet. According to Florian Plettenberg, Rennes have now entered the race for Toulouse centre-back Charlie Cresswell.

The 23-year-old was instrumental in England’s successful U21 European Championship campaign in the summer and has been fielding interest from various suitors, including Premier League clubs.

Wolfsburg have had several bids rejected by Toulouse this window, while West Ham are perennially linked with the defender. Rennes are now firmly in the mix for Cresswell, too.

Despite a poor start to the season, which almost resulted in the sacking of head coach Habib Beye, Rennes are now chasing Champions League qualification and, armed with a potential record windfall for Jacquet, will be in a strong position to meet Toulouse’s valuation of Cresswell.

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