'Big dream' - Jeremy Jacquet officially completes £60m Liverpool transfer

The 20-year-old has finally formalised his move to Merseyside, with Liverpool agreeing to pay an initial £55m with a further £5m in performance-related add-ons. While the deal was effectively agreed during the January window, the club confirmed on Wednesday that all formalities are now complete, securing one of the most promising defensive talents in Europe on a five-year deal that includes an option for a further year.

Jacquet expressed his delight at joining the Premier League giants, stating to the club official website: "I feel really good, the first impressions are good and I am very happy to start here. I am very happy. When I see the facilities, I can see myself there. I feel good here and I am very excited to get started. For me it’s a big dream, it’s a big club. A club like Liverpool, it’s a big dream for me."

Liverpool were forced to move decisively to secure Jacquet's signature, navigating a crowded market that included interest from Bayern Munich and Premier League rivals Chelsea. The defender admitted that the sporting project at Anfield was the deciding factor, particularly the opportunity to learn from established stars while noting that the Chelsea squad felt overpopulated compared to the clear path offered by the Reds.

"At Chelsea, I felt there were quite a lot of people [in his position]. Whereas at Liverpool, apart from the fact that Virgil van Dijk is nearing the end of his career, training with him is going to be huge. He's going to teach me so much. Training with guys like that, it doesn't get any better than that," the youngster said recently.

The road to Anfield has not been without its challenges for the France Under-21 international. Shortly after the initial agreement was reached in January, Jacquet suffered a serious shoulder injury that threatened to derail his momentum. However, he has since successfully completed a rigorous rehabilitation programme and is undergoing individual fitness work to ensure he is ready for the start of pre-season.

He will join a defensive unit under new head coach Andoni Iraola that is looking to blend experience with youth. Jacquet will compete for a starting spot alongside captain Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, and fellow youngster Giovanni Leoni, the latter of whom is also returning from a long-term anterior cruciate ligament injury.

The £60m investment makes Jacquet one of the most expensive French defenders in history, a fact that the player himself acknowledges brings significant scrutiny. Having made only 37 senior appearances in Ligue 1, he is aware that many will question the scale of the fee paid for a player at such an early stage of his professional development.

Opening up on the expectations, Jacquet said: "Promising young players command quite high prices and of course, that adds pressure: am I worth that price or not? I think I have the minimum resources to go there. I'm going there to play as much as possible. If the biggest clubs in Europe are interested, we're not going to turn them down. They're there for a reason."