Jeremy Jacquet is only 20, but his season at Stade Rennais has put him right in the middle of elite transfer attention.
He has started 18 of Rennes’ 20 Ligue 1 matches, missing the other two through suspension, after breaking through last term following two loan spells at Clermont Foot.
That rise is why clubs like Chelsea pushed hard and even held talks with Rennes last month, while Manchester United and Arsenal have tracked him long term.
For Liverpool, the club has been expected to go back into the centre-back market at the end of the season.
For Ibrahima Konate, if things remain as they currently are, he is set to leave on a free transfer with no new deal agreed.
Virgil van Dijk turns 35 in July, and Joe Gomez has had fitness issues for much of the past 18 months.
Liverpool even explored short-term cover by trying to take over Lutsharel Geertruida’s loan at Sunderland from RB Leipzig, but that move collapsed because Sunderland had no cover.
So when Liverpool officially signed Jacquet, it looked like another clear step in a defensive rebuild that already started with Giovanni Leoni, the teenage Parma centre-back who signed for an initial £26m.
Rennes have now been forced to address the noise surrounding the deal and the talk around head coach Habib Beye.
Recent reports suggest Habib Beye is facing mounting pressure at Rennes following their 3–0 Coupe de France defeat to Marseille.
French outlet FootMercato claimed the head coach could be open to an exit from the club, but only if a significant financial settlement is agreed.
Separate speculation has linked Beye to a potential share of the £60 million fee Liverpool are set to pay for Jeremy Jacquet.
The young defender is due to join the Reds at the end of the season after establishing himself as a regular starter in Rennes’ lineup.
The French club released a strong statement, saying, “Stade Rennais F.C. has taken note of the slanderous statements made in the columns of certain media outlets against the club and its coach Habib Beye, particularly regarding fanciful interests related to the transfers of our players Jérémy Jacquet and Kader Meïté.”
They added, “The management of Stade Rennais F.C. firmly denies these allegations.”
“On the eve of an important away match, these attempts at destabilization are indecent and dishonest.”
“Stade Rennais F.C., as a whole, players, coach, staff, and management, is doing everything possible to regain positive momentum in order to achieve its objectives.”
Beye also responded at his press conference.
He said, “I’m perfectly fine mentally. Unfortunately, in the locker room, we saw that a lot of things were being reported.”
“I’m still surprised by how inaccurate everything that’s been said. Everything that’s been reported is inaccurate.”
“It wasn’t a clash, but a coach’s instruction, like in any locker room.”
He added: “We also know that things can change quickly, one way or the other. We need to stay calm. We can’t be in this situation where everything is viewed negatively. We get closer, but then we’re plunged back into an incredible crisis.”
And he finished: “I’m protecting my team, and what’s unfortunate is that everything is getting out and being distorted. We need to report the real facts, not fabricated ones. I’m not trying to set the record straight, but I have to protect my team from this.”
For Liverpool, the message is simple.
The deal is done.
The focus for Rennes now is their plan for life after the defender, and how quickly Jacquet can become part of the rebuild at Anfied when he arrives.
Le Stade Rennais F.C. a pris connaissance de propos calomnieux avancés dans les colonnes de certains médias à l’encontre du club et de son entraîneur Habib Beye, relatifs notamment à des intérêts fantaisistes liés aux transferts de nos joueurs Jérémy Jacquet et Kader Meïté.
La… pic.twitter.com/yQ9ZJcAmdU
— Stade Rennais F.C. (@staderennais) February 6, 2026
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