‘The best deal’: Rennes CONFIRM Jacquet transfer to Liverpool with €70m January deadline day move

Liverpool’s deal to sign Jeremy Jacquet in the summer has all but been confirmed after Rennes manager Habib Beye admitted that the French side had achieved ‘the best deal they could hope for’.

Jacquet is understood to have rejected Chelsea in order to join Liverpool in the summer after a deal worth an initial €60 million fee was agreed with Rennes, while Manchester United also reportedly attempted a late hijack of the move.

The 20-year-old is set to see out the campaign with Rennes before moving to Anfield, with Jacquet reportedly being unconvinced by a move to Chelsea due to the number of young defenders they have on their books.

Chelsea were also unable to agree a fee with Rennes, giving Liverpool the advantage in the race, and, while Beye did not formally announce Jacquet’s departure, he confirmed that a deal had been agreed for his young star.

“I don’t want to comment on something that is not yet real. It’s supposition,” Beye said on Monday. “We negotiated the transfer, obtained the amount that the club looked for, we respected the player’s wish and we have him for the remainder of the season.”

He added: “It’s the reality of the market. The club he joins will offer him Champions League football and what is currently the best league in the world. We simply don’t have the means to fight.”

Liverpool opt for future star ahead of stop-gap solution to defensive injury crisis

Jacquet could become the long-term replacement for Ibrahima Konate, who is still on course to leave Liverpool when his contract expires at the end of the season.

Liverpool had been considering adding a new defender immediately to their ranks after an injury to Joe Gomez left them light on numbers in defence but they have instead chosen to splash the cash on Jacquet for the summer, with the fee set to rise to €70m including add-ons.

Liverpool will be hoping that Jacquet can form a strong partnership with fellow young centre-back Giovanni Leoni, who suffered an ACL injury on his debut just weeks after making a €30m move from Parma.

The Reds are otherwise expected to have a quiet end to the January transfer window ahead of the 7pm deadline on Monday after spending nearly €500m on players during the summer.

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