Liverpool have usurped Chelsea in the race to sign Jeremy Jacquet, with a verbal agreement in place to land the defender from Rennes in what was a blockbuster piece of January business
Jeremy Jacquet chose Liverpool over Chelsea
Jeremy Jacquet chose Liverpool over Chelsea(Image: Jean Catuffe/Getty Images)
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Liverpool's January transfer window saw them verbally agree to spend £60million on Jeremy Jacquet, but the player won't be moving to the club until the summer.
For the last week or so it looked as if the French defender, who is highly-rated in his homeland, was bound for Chelsea if anywhere. But late in the day Liverpool have swooped in amid continued talk of them bolstering their backline.
It comes only months after they twice broken the British-transfer twice - landing Florian Wirtz and then Alexander Isak. But they did miss out on Marc Guehi late in the summer window and there was an expectation that they'd go after the England defender again.
However they've missed out with the centre-half heading to Manchester City - which potentially motivated their pursuit of Jacquet. The club's backline has several moving parts and could undergo a revamp in the coming years.
Ibrahima Konate is out of contract in the summer and Joe Gomez is linked with a move away. Injuries have played their part in their defence struggling for continuity. Mirror Football takes a look at what's been going on at Anfield.
Liverpool have agreed to pay a fixed fee of £55m plus a potential £5m in performance-related add-ons for Jacquet. Chelsea had been offered the same deal but the player himself has opted for Anfield over Stamford Bridge. It is thought he felt more minutes would come his way at the Reds.
At the time of writing, that deal hasn't been officially announced, but a medical was completed on Monday.
Another defender in Mor Talla Ndiaye, a lesser known name, joined from Amitie in a deal worth £1m. Injuries to several players, the likes of Jeremie Frimpong and Conor Bradley, had led to suggestions they would look to bolster their fullback ranks, but no such deals occurred.
Andy Robertson was heavily linked with a move away from Liverpool, but has remained
Andy Robertson was heavily linked with a move away from Liverpool, but has remained(Image: Michael Steele/Getty Images)
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There's been little by way of exits, at least in terms of major players. At the weekend Dominik Szoboszlai did confess that he hadn't seen his contract talks move in the right direction, but there's no suggestion he will be leaving Anfield. He said: “It’s not in my hands. There is no progression but if the right offer comes then let’s see.”
Andy Robertson has been an Anfield stalwart but was firmly on Tottenham's radar, however the left-back chose to remain with his future set to be a talking point until the summer.
James Norris, the 22-year-old, has left permanently and joined Shelbourne for an undisclosed fee. The club have also seen three of their younger players head out on loan for the remainder of the campaign, dropping into the Football League. Luke Chambers and Lewis Koumas have both headed to the Championship, joining Charlton and Birmingham respectively. Calum Scanlon, the defender, has headed to League One leaders Cardiff City, who are looking set for promotion back to the second tier.
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