Liverpool and Chelsea have both sealed major summer signings on Wednesday, with Jérémy Jacquet arriving at Anfield for £60m and Marco Palestra joining Stamford Bridge for £47m — the first acquisition of Xabi Alonso’s tenure as Chelsea manager.
The 20-year-old France Under-21 centre-back Jacquet has cost Liverpool an initial £55m with £5m in add-ons, beating Chelsea and Bayern Munich to his signature in January. The transfer has now been completed subject to international clearance, and Jacquet has signed a five-year contract with the option of an extra year. He sustained a serious shoulder injury within days of the agreement being announced but has successfully completed a rehabilitation programme and is doing individual fitness work with a view to being fit for the start of Andoni Iraola’s first pre-season as Liverpool head coach. “I feel really good, the first impressions are good and I am very happy to start here,” Jacquet said. “When I see the facilities, I can see myself there. … For me it’s a big dream, it’s a big club. A club like Liverpool, it’s a big dream for me.”
“Liverpool sign Jérémy Jacquet for £60m; Chelsea sign Marco Palestra for £47m on the same day.”
Jacquet will be among the starting options at centre-back for Iraola, alongside Virgil van Dijk, Giovanni Leoni and Joe Gomez. Leoni’s first season at Anfield was ruined by an anterior cruciate ligament injury sustained on his debut but he is also expected to be fit for pre-season. Ibrahima Konaté left the club at the end of his contract this summer to join Real Madrid. The signing of Jacquet continues Liverpool’s efforts to lower the average age of their first-team squad.
Chelsea, meanwhile, have signed Atalanta right-back Marco Palestra for about £47m including add-ons, after moving quickly to surpass Inter Milan’s £43m offer and offering what sources in Italy described as a more substantial wage package. The 21-year-old Italy international had an agreement to rejoin his childhood club Inter but opted for Chelsea, signing a seven-year deal until 2033. He becomes the first arrival since Xabi Alonso’s appointment as manager. “A lot of things convinced me to join Chelsea, one of the best clubs in the world,” Palestra said. “He [Alonso] has spoken to me about how he wants us to play, which is exciting, and we can’t wait to compete in the Premier League.”
Palestra spent last season on loan at Cagliari and was named Serie A’s defender of the year. He attempted 73 dribbles over distances of more than 5m — the most by any defender in Serie A — and his 70 successful dribbles were the highest of any defender across Europe’s top 10 leagues. He also won 15 fouls in the final third, the joint-most by a defender in Europe’s top five leagues last season. The move marks a rapid rise for Palestra, who has progressed from Italy’s third tier with Atalanta’s under-23 side to Chelsea in three years, making his senior Italy debut during the World Cup play-offs.
Chelsea are now prioritising a move for a centre-back, with Crystal Palace’s Maxence Lacroix expected to be their primary target, while a move for Rayo Vallecano full-back Pep Chavarria is also in discussion. Sunderland have rejected an £8m bid from Chelsea for captain Granit Xhaka, who played under Alonso at Bayer Leverkusen. There are also agreed deals for striker Emmanuel Emegha to join from Strasbourg and winger Geovany Quenda to arrive from Sporting, while Strasbourg midfielder Valentin Barco is expected to complete a move. The Blues are considering adding a central midfielder and a versatile forward, although much will depend on player sales after they finished 10th in the Premier League last season and failed to qualify for Europe. Midfielder Enzo Fernandez is keen to leave and is attracting interest from Real Madrid, while Serie A side Como have held talks over a move for Trevoh Chalobah. A number of players, including Alejandro Garnacho, Liam Delap, Wesley Fofana, Malo Gusto and Tosin Adarabioyo, also face uncertain futures.