Chelsea sent representatives to France on Friday to try to finalize a deal for Rennes defender Jeremy Jacquet, but the two teams still can’t agree on the transfer fee. The Ligue 1 team wants between €65 and €70 million for the 20-year-old center-back, but the team from west London are trying to get him for less.
The Blues and Jacquet have already agreed on personal terms, so the last step in what has become one of the most closely watched transfer stories of January is for the two clubs to agree on a price. Rennes want to make Jacquet their most expensive player to leave, beating the €60 million they got when Jeremy Doku left for Manchester City in 2023. Chelsea’s willingness to go to France shows they are serious, but the gap in value remains significant.
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano says that Chelsea will definitely sign a defender before the window closes. They currently have three players on their shortlist.
Liam Rosenior, the new manager at Stamford Bridge, has made the France Under-21 international a top target. Jacquet has played 29 times for Rennes, and even though he is young, he has drawn a lot of attention for his ability in the air and his intelligence on the field.
The defender has told Rennes that he wants to join Chelsea this January. This puts pressure on the French club to negotiate, even though they didn’t want to sell in the middle of the season.
Chelsea accelerated their plans to sign more defenders despite turning down a center-back last summer when Maresca asked for help. At the time, the club were interested in Dean Huijsen, but the Spaniard chose to join Real Madrid instead.
Chelsea are Looking at Jacobo Ramon and Marcos Senesi as Possible Defensive Targets
Jacquet is still Chelsea’s top target, but the club have found two other options in case talks with Rennes fall through before the January deadline.
After leaving Real Madrid last summer, Como’s Jacobo Ramon, 21, has had a great season and has caught Chelsea’s eye with his play under manager Cesc Fabregas. But Los Blancos protected themselves with a buy-back clause that would allow them to re-sign the young player for just €8 million.
Bournemouth’s Marcos Senesi has also come up. The 28-year-old Argentine’s contract with the Cherries ends this summer. This means he could be available for a lower fee in January or as a free agent later in the year. Senesi is a different type of player than Chelsea usually look for in transfers, which are younger players who can be sold for profit.
Juventus and Barcelona also want to sign Senesi, making it harder for Chelsea to get him if they decide to go after the experienced Premier League defender rather than Jacquet.