Liverpool has agreed a deal to sign Jeremy Jacquet from Rennes but the defender won’t move to Merseyside until the summer, which has bemused Arsenal legend Paul Merson
12:02, 02 Feb 2026Updated 12:50, 02 Feb 2026
Paul Merson expressed his surprise at Liverpool’s deal to sign Jeremy Jacquet(Image: Getty Images)
Former Arsenal player Paul Merson expressed his shock at Liverpool not bringing Jeremy Jacquet in during the current transfer window.
The Reds have struck a deal to sign Jacquet from Rennes for a fee that could rise to $82 million, but he will not be linking up with his new teammates until next summer.
Liverpool could do with a central defender now due to the selection issues currently facing Arne Slot, who only has Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate available to him as central defenders.
Joe Gomez is injured once again, while summer signing Giovanni Leoni has been out with a serious knee injury since last September.
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“I found it extraordinary that he is coming in the summer,” Merson said on Sky Sports of Liverpool’s deal to sign Jacquet. “They need a centre-half now to get top four or top five.
“I’m majorly shocked. I don’t know why for the life of me he’s staying in France until the start of next season. With that kind of money, you want him now!”
Clinton Morrison was alongside Merson on Sky Sports and also expressed his surprise at Liverpool’s deal to sign Jacquet – but he was surprised for a different reason.
Morrison expected Jacquet to move to Chelsea amid heavy speculation linking the youngster with a move for Stamford Bridge.
Jeremy Jacquet won’t move to Liverpool until the summer(Image: Getty Images)
“I’m surprised because three or four days ago, the young man and his representatives said he wanted to go to Chelsea, and they want it to happen in this window,” Morrison said. “Chelsea have about nine center-halves, so if they were really short, they might have bid for him and put more money in.”
Jacquet is set to arrive on Merseyside on Monday to complete his medical ahead of his summer transfer to the Reds.
A fee of £55 million ($75 million), plus an additional £5 million ($7 million), has been agreed with Rennes for the center-back’s transfer.
Jacquet has agreed a contract that will run until 2031, and his arrival is in keeping with Liverpool’s transfer policy of targeting young defenders, who can be mainstays in the team for years to come.
That was seen with the summer acquisition of Leoni, while Van Dijk, Konate and Gomez are nearing a combined 24 years of service.