Jeremy Jacquet latest as PSG's reason for snubbing Liverpool star emerges

Jeremy Jacquet will join Liverpool in the summer after the Reds won the race for his signature, although he could have signed for Paris Saint-Germain had things turned out differently

Jeremy Jacquet will join Liverpool in the summer after signing from Rennes(Image: Getty Images)

Liverpool will be getting one of the most sought after young players in Europe when Jeremy Jacquet completes his move to Anfield in the summer.

The Reds won the race to sign the Rennes defender on deadline day during the winter window, beating Chelsea to his signature after it seemed as though the Blues had been leading the chase for the 20-year-old.

He will spend the rest of the season back in France, with the $82 million (£60M) deal having been agreed on the proviso that he remained with Rennes for the time being, although a shoulder injury may have foiled those plans.

Had things turned out differently though, Jacquet could have already been plying his trade in the Champions League with the defending European champions - and he may have already inflicted some pain on Liverpool.

As a 14-year-old, Jacquet attracted interest from Paris Saint-Germain, with the French giant having scouted him during his time with RC Joinville. Ultimately though, PSG decided to turn their attention elsewhere.

“PSG hesitated between him and Sékou Doucouré, whose profile was more in line with the club’s vision for the future,” a former member of PSG’s youth department told Le Parisien. “Jacquet had talent, but he seemed less technically ready.”

Jeremy Jacquet was scouted by PSG as a teenager(Image: Neal Simpson/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)

Jacquet would instead join Rennes, which has turned out to be a blessing for Liverpool after getting the chance to sign him, as well as avoiding coming up against him in last season’s Champions League defeat to PSG.

There is one thing the Reds will likely pay close attention to though from Rennes’ scouting of the defender as a teenager, and no doubt Arne Slot will be hoping it isn’t a recurring problem.

"When I first saw him in Joinville, there weren't many clubs interested in him,” former Rennes scout Khaled Gaarba revealed.

“I asked to see his father, Dominique, who ran the club's refreshment stand. He was the spitting image of his son: tall, with long legs.

"He injured his shoulder before he even touched the ball. Jeremy was gutted, but we immediately reassured him by explaining that if he was there, it was because we believed in him. He came back for a training camp at the end of the season, this time at 100 percent fitness, and after developing further, that's when he won everyone over."

That shoulder injury might prove to be a concern, with Jacquet having suffered a recurrence in Rennes’ recent 3-1 defeat to Lens which could see him miss much of the remainder of the campaign. His current boss Habib Beye described the issue as “serious”, meaning Slot and Liverpool may have to wait to find out the long-term repercussions of the injury.