Man Utd fail with late attempt to hijack Liverpool's £60m Jeremy Jacquet transfer after Reds gazumped Chelsea

The classy 20-year-old centre-half has emerged as one of the most sought-after young talents in European football. Impressive progress has been made since making a senior breakthrough at Rennes.

Scouting missions aplenty have been taken in, with Jacquet catching the eye, and positive reports have been sent back to bases across the continent. Sky Sports Deutschland claim that United are among those to have expressed interest.

They went as far as making a play for Jacquet’s signature once it emerged that he could be heading to England. That approach was unsuccessful, however, as Liverpool have already put an agreement in place.

The Reds have a £60 million ($82m) package pieced together, with Arne Slot looking to build long-term on Merseyside. According to The Athletic, a medical at Anfield is set to be undertaken on deadline day.

Jacquet will sign a contract with Liverpool through to 2031, with his big-money transfer being completed in the summer. He will jet into Merseyside to put the finishing touches to that agreement, before heading back to Rennes.

Chelsea were another team that were hoping to get a deal done there, but they have missed out on the hottest of prospects. Jacquet, who has started every Ligue 1 fixture that he has been available for this season, has favoured the Reds over the Blues. That is because he feels that regular game time will be easier to come by at Liverpool - with Ibrahima Konate’s contract running down towards free agency and Virgil van Dijk set to turn 35 in July.

Chelsea, in contrast, already have Trevoh Chalobah, Wesley Fofana, Tosin Adarabioyo, Benoit Badiashile, Axel Disasi, Aaron Anselmino and Jorrel Hato on their books, while Levi Colwill is recovering from injury and Mamadou Sarr is returning from a loan spell at Strasbourg.

Looking for smarter football bets? Get expert previews, data-driven predictions & winning insights with GOAL Tips on Telegram. Join our growing community now!

Liverpool have been able to secure the centre-half reinforcements that they have been after for some time. They had been hoping to land Marc Guehi in the summer of 2025, before seeing him head towards free agency at Crystal Palace.

Manchester City swooped in and paid a fee for the England international during the winter window. That forced Slot and Co to turn their attention elsewhere, with Jacquet considered to be a shrewd addition for the short and long-term future.

French football expert Julien Laurens has told Sky Sports of Jacquet, with the talented defender being likened to fellow countrymen who are already starring in the Premier League for Arsenal and Chelsea: “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.

“You can't get it wrong. He is going to be amazing. 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 will be hoping to prove to Jacquet that he has made the right decision over the remainder of the 2025-26 campaign. They are currently sat below United and Chelsea in the Premier League table, with a difficult title defence being taken in, but remain in the hunt for Champions League qualification while also chasing down major honours at home and abroad.