Jeremy Jacquet has explained why he chose Liverpool over Manchester United and Chelsea, saying the move was shaped by long-running talks with the Premier League club, its history and the chance to train with Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate.
The 20-year-old defender agreed to move from Rennes in February and was due to complete the switch in the summer, with Liverpool reportedly paying £55m up front and another £5m in add-ons. He told Ouest France that he had been speaking to Liverpool for a long time and did not believe the club arrived at the last minute, as he continued to recover from a serious shoulder injury that has kept him out since February.
Jacquet’s comments add detail to a transfer Liverpool had already framed as a major coup. Arne Slot said in February that the French youth international was “a very big talent”, and the size of the fee reflected how strongly the club rated him despite his limited Ligue 1 experience and the fact he had only been capped to Under-21 level for France, not at senior level. He had also not played in European competition when Liverpool moved to secure him.
That background helps explain why the competition for his signature mattered. Liverpool were not alone in making the case for the defender, and Jacquet said interest from other clubs, including Manchester United and Chelsea, made the process feel real rather than rushed. “Honestly, a lot of false things were said! My brother and I were saying, ‘Where did that come from? I never said that!’ It was the first time I’d seen my name linked to social media like that… But anyway, it means clubs are interested in you,” he said, speaking about the noise around the deal.
He added that the decision was not made in a week. “I won’t say it happened quickly, because I took my time with this big step. But I quickly saw myself at Liverpool. I heard they came in at the last minute, but that’s not true. I’d been talking with them for a long time,” he said. Jacquet also pointed to Chelsea’s squad as a factor in his thinking, saying there were “quite a lot of [other] people” there, while Liverpool offered a clearer path to development.
For Jacquet, the appeal was as much about the future as the fee. “I’m focused on football. I spoke with the management; the club’s history weighed heavily on my decision, but so did the project they offered me,” he said. “At Chelsea, I felt there were quite a lot of [other] people. 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. There’s also Ibou Konate, who can help me settle in. Training with guys like that, it doesn’t get any better than that.”
The injury has delayed the point at which Liverpool can see the payoff. Jacquet has not played since February, despite already having agreed the move, and the summer arrival gives the club a defender who is still at an early stage of his career but has already attracted a significant fee and strong internal backing. Liverpool’s pursuit of him is also one more sign of how aggressively they have spent in this window, with the deal forming part of a broader summer outlay that has drawn close attention. For now, though, the focus is on whether the 20-year-old can turn the promise that persuaded Liverpool, and pushed them ahead of Manchester United and Chelsea, into minutes on the pitch once he is fit again.
