27 May 2026 09:03 BST |
4 min read
Jeremy Jacquet has revealed he turned down approaches from the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea to join Liverpool from Rennes this summer.
The 20-year-old will move to Anfield in July after agreeing to sign for the Reds in February for a fee of €63 million, having established himself as one of the brightest wonderkids in France.
Jacquet has only played 31 games in Ligue 1 for Rennes after seeing his season prematurely end in February due to a shoulder injury, but the defender admitted he had a number of offers on the table before choosing Liverpool, with Chelsea also coming close to signing him.
“I won’t say it was a quick decision, because I took my time with this big step. But I quickly saw myself at Liverpool,” Jacquet told Ouest-France.
“At Chelsea, I felt there were quite a lot of people. Whereas at Liverpool, apart from the fact that [Virgil] van Dijk is nearing the end of his career, training with him is going to be huge. He’s going to teach me so much.
“I’ll be 21 in July. For me, there’s the sporting project and the personal project. At my age, I prioritize the sporting side. I don’t have my own family yet. I’m focused on football. I spoke with the management; the club’s history weighed heavily on my decision, but so did the project they offered me.”
Jacquet opens up over decision to make Liverpool transfer
Jacquet came through Rennes’ academy and broke into their first team in 2025 after a loan spell with Clermont, with the youngster never looking back after an impressive start.
Many of Europe’s elite sides chased Jacquet after his monumental rise at Rennes but Liverpool won the race despite the strong interest from rivals in the French under-21 star.
“I heard [Liverpool] arrived at the last minute, but that’s not true. I’d been talking to them for a long time. There were other clubs too.”
When Jacquet was asked about interest from United specifically, he replied: “For example, but also other clubs that haven’t been mentioned. It didn’t happen in a week.”
He added: “To be honest, my agent told me there were two choices: either go to a mid-table club or skip the step altogether.
“Initially, we were leaning towards a mid-table club. But then I told him: if the biggest clubs in Europe are interested, we’re not going to turn them down. They’re there for a reason. I think I have the minimum resources to go there. I’m going there to play as much as possible.”
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