Jeremy Jacquet seals £60m Liverpool move from Rennes after shoulder surgery recovery

Jeremy Jacquet has completed his £60m move to Liverpool from Rennes, with the 20-year-old centre-back signing a five-year deal — with the option of a sixth — at Anfield on Wednesday. The transfer, first agreed in January, was held up by a shoulder injury the French defender sustained shortly after the deal was rubber-stamped on transfer deadline day.

Liverpool will pay an initial £55m with a further £5m in add-ons, making Jacquet the second most expensive defender in the club’s history. Only Virgil van Dijk, who arrived from Southampton for £75m in January 2018, cost more.

Having undergone surgery a few weeks after the injury — sustained during Rennes’ 3-1 Ligue 1 defeat to Lens in early February — Jacquet has since returned to outdoor training on an individually tailored programme. He is now fully fit and available for Liverpool’s pre-season schedule, which begins later this month at the AXA Training Centre.

Jacquet will compete for a starting berth alongside Joe Gomez, Giovanni Leoni and club captain Van Dijk. The Dutchman is expected to feature on Liverpool’s summer tour of the United States after the Netherlands were eliminated at the round-of-32 stage of the World Cup on Monday.

Liverpool resisted interest from several European clubs during the winter window, most notably Chelsea, to retain their grip on the deal. The young defender is understood to be eager to develop under Van Dijk, a two-time Premier League winner who turns 35 this month.

Jacquet arrives 11 months after 19-year-old Leoni joined from Parma for just under £30m, with Liverpool believing they have secured two of the finest young defenders from France and Italy respectively. Leoni’s return timeline from the ACL injury he suffered on his debut against Southampton in the Carabao Cup last September remains unclear, though an update from new manager Andoni Iraola is expected this month.

Jacquet’s arrival coincides with Real Madrid officially completing the signing of Ibrahima Konate, who departs Liverpool as a free agent. The club spent nearly two years in negotiations with the France international’s representatives but were unable to reach an agreement, allowing him to join the La Liga side on a free transfer.