Arsenal reportedly remain keen on signing Stade Rennais defender Jeremy Jacquet, as per Caught Offside.
The Gunners decided to reinforce the centre-back position last summer, and after purchasing Cristhian Mosquera from Valencia, they were said to be interested in the Frenchman.
Eventually, the North London club signed Piero Hincapié, instead of making a move for Jacquet. However, Arsenal have suffered numerous injury problems at the back this season, with Mosquera, Ben White, and Gabriel Magalhaes set to remain sidelined for several weeks.
On the other hand, William Saliba also sustained a minor injury and was sidelined for a couple of weeks before returning to action against Wolves in the Premier League last weekend.
Caught Offside claim that Arsenal are planning to add further depth to the defence in January to continue the title charge and are a ‘big fan’ of Jacquet, so they could make a concrete approach to secure his service next month. However, he isn’t the only name on their radar as Marc Guehi and Ousmane Diomande are also on Mikel Arteta’s shortlist.
Moreover, the report say that Arsenal are also contemplating purchasing a new midfielder as Martin Zubimendi and Declan Rice have been playing almost every game. Christian Norgaard was signed last summer to support Zubimendi, but he has found it difficult to find regular game time thus far.
Jacquet to Arsenal
Arsenal have earmarked Ayyoub Bouaddi of LOSC Lille as a serious target, and it remains to be seen whether they make a concrete approach to purchase him next month.
Jacquet, standing at 6ft 3in tall, is quick, strong, good in the air, comfortable playing out from the back, and is efficient in defensive contributions. He is still just 20 and has already established himself as a key starter for Rennes.
He is valued at around £17m by Transfermarkt and still has three and a half years left in his current contract. So, the French side aren’t in any rush to sell him next month.
It is going to be interesting to see whether the North London club eventually make a move to add further depth to their squad in the upcoming winter transfer window.