'The best deal we could hope for' - Rennes boss offers Jeremy Jacquet update after Liverpool beat Chelsea to £60m transfer

Liverpool have reportedly reached an agreement to sign Jacquet ahead of Chelsea, negotiating a deal worth £60m that will see the defender remain on loan in France for the rest of the season.

Beye, Rennes' manager, has stopped short of confirming that the centre-back was set to move to Anfield, but he did give an insight into how Liverpool's proposal was accepted.

He told reporters: “I don’t want to comment on something that is not yet real. It’s supposition. We negotiated the transfer, obtained the amount that the club looked for, we respected the player’s wish and we have him for the remainder of the season."

Beye also struck a sad note when he revealed Rennes simply could not convince the wonderkid to stay, adding: “It’s the reality of the market. The club he joins will offer him Champions League football and what is currently the best league in the world... We simply don’t have the means to fight.“

Jacquet has made a total of 31 appearances for Rennes and also has five caps under his belt for France Under-21s. 

Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has posited a theory that he will end up replacing Ibrahima Konate. 

He said: "Yes I am pleased they have made a signing in that area," Carragher told Sky Sports News. "Liverpool need reinforcements in that area but they definitely need that in the summer. It looks like Ibrahima Konate is going to move on, as he hasn't signed a contract yet, so I think they are getting young centre-backs for the future.

"Unfortunately, [Giovanni] Leoni, who they signed last summer, has suffered an ACL injury, so we don't see him as well."

He admitted to "frustration" that he is not moving to Anfield immediately, however. 

He added:  "Yes [there's some frustration the deal isn't for now] but when they are talking with Rennes, it's part of the deal and the reason Liverpool have got the deal over the line is because they have said to Rennes they can keep the player until the end of the season.

"They aren't going to want to disrupt their season in France between now and the end of the season.

"So yeah I can understand [the frustration] but he is their player, so you have to sort of play by their rules. Liverpool have paid top money for a player of that age, so the future bodes well at centre-back but they have pressing problems right now that they need to fix."

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Liverpool have beaten off serious competition to sign Jacquet. 

Jacquet has been registering on the radar at Stamford Bridge, with Chelsea considered to be leading the chase for his signature at one stage. The Blues are said to have held talks with the player and his representatives, but they will “not match Liverpool’s bid”.

Sky Sports claims that “Chelsea offered exactly the same deal as Liverpool but over the past 48 hours, when it became apparent that Mamadou Sarr would be returning to Chelsea and Josh Acheampong was staying, the player changed his mind and decided to move to Liverpool”.

Liverpool play Manchester City in their next Premier League encounter. The Reds are currently sixth with 39 points, 14 points behind leaders Arsenal, and are in desperate need of a win to bolster their own Champions League qualification hopes.