Chelsea Take First Step Towards ‘Record’ Centre Back Signing

The potential transfer marks a significant U-turn from what Enzo Maresca was told.

Jérémy Jacquet has been heavily linked with a move to the Premier League this year. | Jean Catuffe/Getty Images

Chelsea have reportedly agreed personal terms with Rennes centre back Jérémy Jacquet regarding a January switch but still have to settle on a fee which suits both clubs.

Shortly after Liam Rosenior’s appointment in west London, it emerged that the Blues had decided to go in search of a new centre back this month. Former boss Enzo Maresca had explicitly pointed to this problem position back in the summer following Levi Colwill’s ACL injury only to have his concerns bluntly rejected by Chelsea’s recruitment department.

After watching their side struggle defensively throughout the first half of the campaign—the Blues boast a bottom-half record for expected goals conceded, facing the highest average quality of chances across the entire division—there appears to have been a change of heart.

Jacquet was initially billed as one of three potential targets for Chelsea. Yet, Fabrizio Romano’s excited reports claim that the French 20-year-old has swiftly superseded Como’s Jacobo Ramón and Marcos Senesi of Bournemouth.

Jérémy Jacquet has plenty of high-level admirers. | Franco Arland/Getty Images

Indeed, Chelsea are thought to have already struck an agreement with Jacquet regarding the terms of his potential contract at Stamford Bridge. The player, who was previously linked with Arsenal, is said to be “keen,” ensuring that the only sticking point revolves around his price tag.

Rennes are reportedly demanding €65 million (£56.4 million, $75.5 million) which would make Jacquet the most expensive sale in club history, surpassing the €60 million Manchester City paid for Jérémy Doku back in the summer of 2023.

Chelsea’s bid has not yet had a figure attached to it, but is understood to fall below that lofty threshold. Only two January recruits have ever cost the Blues more.

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Jacquet Fits Record-Breaking Chelsea Profile

Liam Rosenior has been given a young group at Chelsea. | Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC/Getty Images

Chelsea may have broken with their initial disinterest in a new defender this month, but they were never going to go against the transfer mantra which left Maresca bemoaning a lack of seniority.

At 20, Jacquet fits the brief of exclusively young recruits. Co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart have not paid money for a single player over the age of 25 since their arrival during the 2022–23 season. Rosenior boasts the youngest squad in the Premier League and has tried to embrace this youthfulness by hailing his current crop as the modern iteration of Manchester United’s Class of ’92.

Putting aside the quality of those young stars at Old Trafford, the likes of David Beckham, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes had a core group of experienced heads to lean upon. Chelsea emphatically do not.

Saturday’s nervy 2–0 win over Brentford was Chelsea’s 60th consecutive Premier League match which didn’t include one player aged 30 or above. No side in the competition’s history can much such a youthful run.

During this burst of games, Chelsea boast the fifth-best record in the Premier League, almost 20 points adrift of Arsenal and Liverpool while also trailing Manchester City and Aston Villa.

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