Liverpool seal £60m deal for Rennes teen Jacquet to become defensive cornerstone

Liverpool have agreed to pay up to £60m for Rennes 20-year-old centre-back Jeremy Jacquet (roughly £50m upfront plus £10m in add-ons). The highly touted defender will stay with Rennes for the remainder of the 2025-26 season before joining Liverpool in July. Jacquet is praised for his aggression, aerial ability, and ball-playing range, with comparisons to Cristian Romero, but questions remain about adapting to the Premier League and handling increased scrutiny. The move edges out Chelsea and Bayern Munich as the Reds pursue a long-term defensive rebuild.