Manchester United Attempts Late Bid for Liverpool’s Jacquet

Reports indicate that Manchester United made a late attempt to secure the signing of Jeremy Jacquet, a promising defender from Stade Rennes, just as Liverpool FC finalized their own agreement for the player. The transfer, valued at €70 million (approximately £61 million), is set to be completed in the summer, allowing Jacquet to remain with Rennes for the remainder of the current season.

Liverpool’s interest in bolstering their defensive lineup comes after missing out on Marc Guehi during the summer transfer window. The England international was close to joining the Reds, having passed his medical, but ultimately chose to move to Manchester City in January instead. The situation has been exacerbated by an injury to summer signing Giovanni Leoni, who is sidelined for the rest of the season, leaving Liverpool with Joe Gomez as their primary backup to central defenders Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté.

Manchester United’s Last-Minute Effort

As Liverpool moved closer to securing Jacquet’s signature, Manchester United attempted to intervene in the deal. According to noted transfer expert Florian Plettenberg, the Red Devils were unsuccessful in their last-minute bid. He confirmed on social media platform X, “Manchester United tried to hijack Jeremy Jacquet’s summer transfer to Liverpool in the last hours, but were unsuccessful. Jacquet already had an agreement in place with Liverpool.”

Plettenberg also reported that Chelsea had shown interest in Jacquet, but stated there was “never an agreement” between the player and the London club. This further solidifies Liverpool’s position as the leading contender for the young defender.

Upcoming Transfer Deadline and Squad Strengthening

With the winter transfer deadline approaching on January 1, 2024, Liverpool manager Arne Slot has expressed a desire to strengthen his squad. Speaking about potential transfers, he stated, “I think we are trying to strengthen the squad and not trying to weaken it. But yeah, 48 hours to go. Let’s see where the window ends up.”

While Liverpool has been linked to Lutsharel Geertruida, a versatile defender from RB Leipzig, Fabrizio Romano indicated that discussions had stalled, making a deal seem unlikely at this point. He reported on X, “Lutsharel Geertruida-Liverpool deal considered OFF by Sunderland after talks not advancing today.”

As teams across the league prepare for the final hours of the transfer window, Liverpool appears committed to securing Jacquet while navigating the complexities of squad management and injury concerns.