Jacquet acknowledges £60m Liverpool fee 'adds pressure' ahead of summer arrival

Jeremy Jacquet has acknowledged that his £60 million move to Liverpool carries significant weight, telling French newspaper Ouest-France that the fee raises an uncomfortable question: “Am I worth that price or not?”

The 21-year-old Rennes defender was signed in January on a deal worth an initial £55m with a further £5m in add-ons, making him one of the more expensive centre-back acquisitions in the club’s history. He has remained in France since the transfer was completed and is set to join the squad on Merseyside this summer.

Jacquet revealed that Chelsea were also in contention for his signature before Liverpool moved late to secure the deal. He said the club’s stature and a clearer path to playing time ultimately swayed him. “I spoke with the management; the club’s history weighed heavily on my decision but so did the project they offered me,” he said. “I’m going there to play as much as possible.”

The defender described his decision-making process as deliberate rather than rushed. “I won’t say it was a quick one, because I took my time with this big step but I quickly saw myself at Liverpool,” he said. His agent had initially pointed him toward a mid-table club as a stepping stone, but Jacquet pushed back. “If the biggest clubs in Europe are interested, we’re not going to turn them down. They’re there for a reason.”

Despite his relative inexperience at senior level, Jacquet insisted he has “the minimum resources” to make an immediate impact at Anfield as Arne Slot’s side look to recover from a season in which they conceded 53 Premier League goals.

Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté remain the established first-choice pairing, though both endured inconsistent campaigns. Jacquet was candid about what he hopes to absorb from the Dutch captain. “The fact that Virgil van Dijk is nearing the end of his career, training with him is going to be huge,” he said.

The defensive picture at Liverpool remains unsettled beyond the first-choice duo. Joe Gomez’s future at the club is uncertain, while fellow centre-back signing Giovanni Leoni, 19, is still working his way back after a knee injury suffered on his debut last season ended his first campaign prematurely.