Why Jeremy Jacquet snubbed Chelsea for Liverpool revealed as €70m transfer agreed
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Liverpool are set to beat Chelsea to the signing of Rennes defender Jeremy Jacquet in a huge blow for the Blues.
Chelsea have been in talks for several weeks with Rennes for the 20-year-old after expressing their interest in the central defender, as they look to bolster Liam Rosenior's defence.
Rosenior's side had reached an agreement over personal terms, with Jacquet reportedly keen on a move to Stamford Bridge.
Discussions were ongoing between the clubs, with Rennes wanting to keep hold of Jacquet for the remainder of the season.
Chelsea continued to assess all options, including recalling Aaron Anselmino from Borussia Dortmund to move to Strasbourg, who would then see Mamadou Sarr - who is set to fly to London - return to Stamford Bridge from his loan spell in France.
Liverpool remained in the background whilst Chelsea attempted to finalise a deal for Jacquet, and Arne Slot's side have now won the race to sign the Rennes talent.
As revealed by Fabrizio Romano, Liverpool have reached an agreement with Rennes over a deal worth an initial €60m plus €10m in add-ons for Jacquet.
Personal terms between Liverpool and Jacquet have been agreed, which will see him make the switch to Anfield this summer.
Jacquet is now set to have a medical on Monday ahead of a summer move if all goes to plan, reports Ben Jacobs.
Chelsea will now need to turn to other defensive targets should they still wish to add another centre-back this summer.
For now, they will have to settle with Sarr's return as they cope with the injury absences of Levi Colwill and Tosin Adarabioyo.
Why Jeremy Jacquet rejected Chelsea transfer revealed
It looked like Chelsea were going to land the signing of Jacquet one way or another, even if it meant signing him for the summer.
But now the reason for Chelsea being snubbed has been revealed, as reported by Sky Sports.
It's suggested that Chelsea offered exactly the same deal as Liverpool for Jacquet. However, when it became apparent that Sarr would be returning to Chelsea from his loan spell at Strasbourg and Josh Acheampong would be staying, the player changed his mind and decided to move to Merseyside.
Sky Sports also state that it is believed Jacquet is likely to play more regularly under Arne Slot in the long term as Chelsea's squad is overloaded with young centre-backs.
Matt Debono leads the editorial team which covers Chelsea On SI. He has witnessed Chelsea win it all, whilst also featuring on ITV News, SPORTbible and various other publications.