Liverpool have completed the signing of Jérémy Jacquet from Rennes, with the France Under-21 centre-back putting pen to paper on a five-year contract at Anfield, with the option of a further year. The clubs agreed a deal in January, with Liverpool paying a fixed fee of £55 million plus up to £5 million in add-ons, taking the total package to around £60 million. Jacquet passed a medical on transfer deadline day and officially became a Liverpool player on 1 July, once his final season at Rennes had finished.
The 20-year-old had also drawn interest from Chelsea, who reportedly tabled a similar offer, but Jacquet opted for Liverpool. "I feel really good, the first impressions are good and I am very happy to start here," he said after joining. "For me it's a big dream, it's a big club."
Liverpool's business in recent transfer windows has leaned heavily towards young, developing talent, and Jacquet fits that pattern as another first-team addition still in his early twenties. Those who have watched him closely in France rate him highly: pundit Julien Laurens called him "the real deal," while analyst Kevin Hatchard described him as "a rising star... good on the ball, good passing range, athletic, great in the air" — attributes that suit a club looking to build a defence capable of playing out from the back under high pressure.
For Rennes, it's a significant loss at centre-back. Jacquet came through the club's academy and made 33 senior appearances for the first team, becoming a regular starter after returning from a season-long loan at Clermont Foot in Ligue 2, where he made 24 appearances and continued his development. He established himself in Rennes' side under coach Habib Beye before a shoulder injury, picked up in February, ended his final campaign early. He is expected to be fully fit and available for the start of pre-season training with his new club.
Despite the injury interruption, Jacquet's rise over the past two seasons is what convinced Liverpool to pay a substantial fee for a player yet to turn 21. He's already established himself in France's Under-21 setup, and his combination of composure on the ball, aerial strength and physical profile has been the main draw for a Liverpool side keen to add competition and long-term cover in central defence.
Exactly how quickly Jacquet breaks into Liverpool's first-choice back line remains to be seen — he arrives at a club with established options at centre-back and will need time to adapt to the pace and physicality of the Premier League. But the length of his contract, five years with a further year in the club's favour, points to a player Liverpool see as part of their plans for the rest of the decade rather than an immediate makeweight.