Liverpool are looking to get in front of Arsenal in the race to sign Rennes centre-back Jeremy Jacquet this summer, according to reports.

The Reds are busy in the transfer market with Liverpool keeping an eye on Alexander Isak’s situation at Newcastle United after having a £110m bid turned down last week.

Liverpool have already brought in Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez and Hugo Ekitike as their four headline signings after Arne Slot guided them to the Premier League title last season.

Centre-back is another area that Slot is keen to strengthen this summer with Liverpool heavily linked to Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi, who is also wanted by Premier League rivals Newcastle.

And the Reds have now joined the race to sign Rennes youngster Jacquet after transfer expert Fabrizio Romano revealed on Monday that Arsenal were lining up the 20-year-old in case Jakub Kiwior departed.

Romano told his YouTube channel: “Kiwior could be on his way out of Arsenal – but only if an important proposal arrives. Arsenal have already rejected the proposal from Portugal. Mikel Arteta loves the player.

READ: Ten-striker transfer domino starts with Sesko to Newcastle and ends with Wissa via Isak to Liverpool

“He loves the mentality of the player. But in case Kiwior goes, Arsenal will add a new defender to their squad. That’s guaranteed.

“One of the players they love is Jeremy Jacquet of Rennes. They’ve already made contact with the French club the answer was: ‘Sorry, but the player is untouchable this summer.’

“He extended his contract at the end of May. He’s a crucial player for Rennes and they don’t want to spend this summer.

“Arsenal will keep monitoring this boy. It could be one to watch for 2026.”

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Foot Mercato even claimed on Monday that Jacquet has rejected Arsenal, the report in France wrote: ‘The London club wanted to recruit a new promising talent to strengthen its defensive line, but Jérémy Jacquet preferred to decline.

‘And to avoid a new approach this summer, Rennes wasted no time in securing their jewel by offering him a contract extension, now tying him to the Breton club until 2029. The Frenchman remains a highly sought-after player, nonetheless.’

And now TBR Football insist that Liverpool and Newcastle ‘have both also shown interest in signing’ Arsenal transfer target Jacquet this summer.

It is understood that the Reds and Magpies ‘appreciate Jacquet’s skill set, even if he has only made 12 appearances for the first team’ but French side Rennes are ‘currently insisting that Jacquet is not for sale following Arsenal’s approach’.

Jacquet is ‘speaking to his camp about his future right now’ and that ‘there’s a feeling that interested clubs believe that Jacquet could still be available, and the idea of a club like Arsenal buying Jacquet and loaning him back to Rennes shouldn’t be ruled out.’

Jacquet’s former Rennes reserve team coach Pierre-Emmanuel Bourdeau labelled him “a complete player” back in 2023.

Bourdeau said: “Despite everything, we know he’s a guy with great potential. His body’s been letting him down a bit this season. He’s been able to string together sessions and matches.

“He’s a guy who’s progressed enormously in the N2 championship, particularly in terms of maturity. He lacked a bit of reliability, but now he has a real defensive spirit and is capable of playing well on the rebound.

“He’s a complete player, who still has a lot of room for improvement.”