Chelsea pick Jeremy Jacquet alternative after Liverpool steal transfer

A Chelsea transfer target is on his way to a rival Premier League club as the Blues land an alternative

Chelsea are set to be reunited with Mamadou Sarr after missing out on Jeremy Jacquet to Liverpool.

Senegal international Sarr arrived in London on Monday (transfer deadline day) to finalise his return to Stamford Bridge, having been recalled from his Strasbourg loan spell.

The 20-year-old centre-back was meant to spend the entire season with Chelsea’s sister club and even wore the captain’s armband on Sunday as Strasbourg lost 2-1 at home to PSG.

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The Blues decided to bring him back to Stamford Bridge early to boost Liam Rosenior’s squad, despite assessing other centre-back options in January.

One of the players they tried to sign was Rennes defender Jacquet, 20. Chelsea held talks with the Frenchman and reportedly offered the same deal as Liverpool.

However, given Sarr’s return to Chelsea and Josh Acheampong staying put in west London, Jacquet believed he would play more regularly at Anfield and subsequently changed his mind.

The promising youngster opted for a deadline day move to Anfield, with a fixed fee of £55million plus a potential £5m in performance-related add-ons agreed between Liverpool and Rennes. However, providing a deal goes through, he will not be joining the Reds in the current transfer window, instead linking up with them in the summer.

The Blues, meanwhile, already have central defenders Trevoh Chalobah, Wesley Fofana, Tosin Adarabioyo, Benoit Badiashile, Axel Disasi, Aaron Anselmino and Jorrel Hato to pick from. Levi Colwill could also return from injury before the end of the season.

Liverpool only have Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate at their disposal due to injuries and missing out on Marc Guehi last summer.

Jacquet came through the Rennes academy and has played for the club 18 times this season. A string of impressive performances made him a target for some of Europe's elite clubs, with Liverpool seeing him as a long-term investment.

Sarr, meanwhile, joined Chelsea from Strasbourg in a £12m deal last June and made his debut against ES Tunis in the Club World Cup. He was sent back on loan to the Ligue 1 side this season, where he continued to work under Rosenior.

Sarr was anticipated to return to Chelsea in the summer ahead of his integration into the first team ahead of the 2026/27 campaign but is now expected to play a role earlier than planned.