Liverpool have reached an agreement with Jeremy Jacquet, marking a major breakthrough in their attempt to steal a record-setting transfer from Chelsea.

Liverpool have struck a verbal agreement with Rennes for defender Jeremy Jacquet in a deal worth £55 million, with a further £5m in performance-related add-ons. The France Under-21 international is scheduled to undergo a medical with the Reds on Monday, although the transfer will not be completed until the summer.

Rennes were firm in their stance that Jacquet would not be sold before Monday’s deadline, despite strong interest from Chelsea earlier in the window. That position opened the door for Liverpool to move decisively and beat their Premier League rivals to the highly rated centre-back.

The Ligue 1 club had made it clear they would only sanction Jacquet’s departure for a club-record fee, surpassing the £52m Manchester City paid for Jeremy Doku in 2023. Liverpool have now met those demands, agreeing verbally to a £55m package plus add-ons.

Chelsea, meanwhile, are set to welcome Mamadou Sarr back from his loan spell at Strasbourg and are also reluctant to block the development of young defender Josh Acheampong, ruling out a sale. The Blues had also recalled Argentine prospect Aaron Anselmino from Borussia Dortmund earlier in the window.

Liverpool’s pursuit of a new centre-back comes after a series of frustrations in the market. They failed to land Marc Guehi last summer despite agreeing a fee with Crystal Palace, with the deal collapsing late on deadline day. Although teenage signing Giovanni Leoni arrived, his season was cut short by an ACL injury, and Liverpool later missed out on Guehi again this month as he joined Manchester City.

Chelsea had similarly prioritised defensive reinforcements following Levi Colwill’s ACL injury before the season. Former head coach Enzo Maresca, and later successor Liam Rosenior, both pushed for a new centre-back, with Jacquet identified as a leading target—one Liverpool have now successfully secured.