Liverpool officially locked in Jeremy Jacquet on Wednesday, finalizing the £55 million transfer they agreed with Rennes back in January. The French defender signed a five-year deal with a club option for a sixth season, and the total package could climb to £60 million with performance-based add-ons.
Jacquet hasn’t played since February after dislocating his shoulder. But the medical staff at Anfield cleared him, and he’s expected to be ready when pre-season starts next month.
The timing matters. Liverpool needed a center-back after Ibrahima Konate walked on a free when his contract expired and ran straight to Real Madrid. That left a hole in the rotation, and the club moved fast — beating out Chelsea, who also had Jacquet on their radar before Liverpool swooped in during the winter window. The deal included a handshake agreement that Jacquet would finish the season at Rennes.
Now he arrives, and the defensive depth chart looks like this: captain Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Giovanni Leoni and Jacquet. Leoni is a concern though. He tore his ACL on his debut against Southampton back in September and has been out since. The team hasn’t set a return date yet.
Jacquet is only 20 years old but has already shown composure well beyond his age in Ligue 1. His recovery from the shoulder injury seems to have gone smoothly, and the club’s medical staff have him on a tailored program to get him match-fit.
This is Liverpool’s second signing of the summer. They already brought in Spanish winger Victor Munoz for £34 million. They also made a run at Yan Diomande, putting together a massive £86 million package for the RB Leipzig midfielder. That one didn’t go through, according to reports, but the offer shows the club is willing to spend this window.
The question now is how Jacquet adapts to Premier League intensity. He’s got the raw tools and the right attitude, but going from Ligue 1 to playing behind Van Dijk and alongside Gomez is a jump. Jacquet’s shoulder looks good. Now we see if his head stays level.
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