Rennes manager reacts to 'not yet real' Jeremy Jacquet transfer to Liverpool

Liverpool is set to complete the signing of Jeremy Jacquet, with his current manager all but confirming the deal that will see the defender join the Reds in the summer

Jeremy Jacquet is set to complete a deal to join Liverpool in the summer(Image: Getty Images)

Rennes boss Habib Beye has all but confirmed Jeremy Jacquet’s transfer to Liverpool, although he has left a grain of doubt after insisting the move is “not yet real”.

Jacquet is expected to complete a medical on Merseyside today as the Reds look to wrap up a deal before the transfer window shuts at 7 pm UK time (2 pm ET/11 am PT).

Although a $82 million deal (£60M) has been agreed, and Jacquet is set to sign a deal to keep him at Liverpool until the summer of 2031, he won’t play for the Reds until the 2026/27 season, with the defender instead returning to Rennes for the remainder of the current campaign.

Jacquet has been touted for a move away from France throughout the transfer window, with Chelsea having looked to have been the frontrunner for his signature at one stage, while Bayern Munich was also heavily linked.

It’s Liverpool though that is set to acquire the highly-rated 20-year-old, although his current boss wasn’t prepared to confirm it was a done deal when speaking on Monday.

“I don’t want to comment on something that is not yet real. It’s supposition,” Beye said ahead of Rennes’ Coupe de France encounter against Marseille.

Rennes boss Habib Beye has all but confirmed Jeremy Jacquet's move to Liverpool

“We negotiated the transfer, obtained the amount that the club looked for, we respected the player’s wish and we have him for the remainder of the season. It’s the best deal we could hope for.”

Jacquet’s exit will be a club-record sale for Rennes, overtaking the $75.8M (£55.5M) it collected from Jeremy Doku’s move to Manchester City in 2023.

Jacquet made his way through the club’s academy and has made 18 league appearances so far this season, all of them from the start, as Rennes chases a place in Europe for next season, although Beye admits there was no way in which a move to Anfield could be prevented.

“It’s the reality of the market,” Beye added. “The club he joins will offer him Champions League football and what is currently the best league in the world. We simply don’t have the means to fight.

"Even if we were to ratify the Champions League or possibly the Europa League today, you are still at a lower level in terms of club category, challenge, salary, and in every category.

"I believe that Jérémy Jacquet should remain a Stade Rennais player, but given what we are experiencing and what he is experiencing, we simply don't have the means to fight," he concluded.”