Liverpool Signs Jeremy Jacquet for £60m: A Defensive Future

Liverpool have won the race for one of Europe’s most coveted young defenders, completing a £60m move for Rennes centre-back Jeremy Jacquet.

The 20-year-old passed his medical on Deadline Day in February and has now signed a five-year contract at Anfield, with an option for a further year. Liverpool will pay a guaranteed £55m, with an extra £5m tied to performance-related add-ons – a heavyweight fee for a player yet to taste Champions League or Europa League football.

Chelsea matched Liverpool’s offer, pound for pound. Jacquet chose Anfield.

A dream move and a statement signing

Jacquet’s first words as a Liverpool player carried the wide-eyed energy of a youngster who knows exactly how big this step is.

“I feel really good, the first impressions are good and I am very happy to start here. I am very happy. When I see the facilities, I can see myself there. I feel good here and I am very excited to get started. For me it's a big dream, it's a big club. A club like Liverpool, it's a big dream for me,” he told Liverpoolfc.com.

For Liverpool, this is not just another defensive reinforcement. It is a continuation of a clear, aggressive strategy: identify elite potential early, pay the premium before the rest of Europe does, and lower the age profile of the squad without compromising ambition. Across the last two windows, the average age of their first-team signings has dipped below 22. Jacquet fits that model perfectly.

He will walk straight into the first-team group as one of the club’s central defenders, joining Virgil van Dijk, Geovanni Leoni and Joe Gomez in a unit that suddenly looks both experienced and future-proofed.

The “real deal” from Rennes

Inside French football circles, Jacquet’s name has been underlined for some time. Julien Laurens, who has watched his rise closely, did not hold back in his assessment.

“He's the real deal. I know he's only 20, he hasn't played for France and he hasn't played in the Champions League or Europa League. He has a long way to go but he's been impressive last season, after they [Rennes] called him back from his loan in the second division, and this season, with Habib Beye,” Laurens said.

The comparison he reached for tells its own story.

“He reminds me of when William Saliba burst onto the scene in France with Saint-Etienne, or Wesley Fofana. It's about how much you value that potential and talent. You would pay a lot of money for someone who hasn't really proved much. It's a lot of money for such a young player.”

Liverpool have decided that potential is worth backing heavily. Rennes, who had recalled Jacquet from a loan spell in France’s second tier before watching him flourish under Habib Beye, resisted until the end. The size of the deal and the calibre of the clubs chasing him show how quickly his stock has risen.

A modern centre-back, still untested at the very top

Across Europe, scouts have logged the same notes on Jacquet. Kevin Hatchard summed them up succinctly when speaking on Sky Sports News.

"He's been seen as a rising star for quite some time. He's been a captain at numerous youth groups for France and seen as somebody who has all of the building blocks you need to be a modern centre-back. He's good on the ball, good passing range, athletic, great in the air - but he doesn't have a long record of top-level football,” Hatchard said.

That last line matters. Liverpool are paying elite money for a defender whose senior résumé is still relatively slim.

“He had a loan at Clermont that went well. He's been playing for Rennes this season, but it shows you just how much they rate him that they really didn't want to let him go in this window. His coach Habib Beye said 'if we let him go this season, we'll have to downgrade our goals for the season.'”

When a club as ambitious as Rennes openly links their season’s targets to one player’s presence, it underlines his influence. Liverpool now expect to reap the benefit.

Injury checked, pre-season targeted

There is one recent blemish on Jacquet’s file: a shoulder injury earlier this year. Liverpool’s medical staff, notoriously thorough, signed off on the deal only after he completed a full rehabilitation programme.

He is back in individual fitness work and is expected to be ready for the start of pre-season. That timing matters. It gives him a full summer to adapt to the intensity of Liverpool’s training, to learn the demands placed on their centre-backs, and to build chemistry with Van Dijk, Leoni and Gomez before the competitive games begin.

For a 20-year-old stepping into a club of this size, those weeks could shape his entire first season.

Liverpool’s next defensive pillar?

The fee, the age, the competition from Chelsea, the glowing endorsements from France – all of it points in one direction. Liverpool believe Jeremy Jacquet can anchor their defence for the next decade.

He arrives without a Champions League appearance to his name, but with the profile of a defender built for that stage: calm on the ball, expansive in his passing, strong in the air, and already trusted with leadership roles in France’s youth ranks.

The question now is not whether he has the tools. It is how quickly he can turn raw promise into Premier League authority, under the weight of a £60m price tag and the expectations that come with the red shirt at Anfield.