Jeremy Jacquet is officially a Liverpool player — and the France Under-21 international is fit to play after recovering from the shoulder injury that delayed his arrival. The 20-year-old centre-back completed his £60m move from Rennes on Wednesday, signing a five-year deal with the option of a sixth year.
Liverpool agreed the transfer in January for an initial £55m plus £5m in add-ons, beating Chelsea and Bayern Munich to the highly rated defender. But within days of the deal being announced, Jacquet suffered an awkward fall in the second half of Rennes' 3-1 loss to Lens in early February. He left the pitch in clear pain and subsequently required shoulder surgery.
“Liverpool complete £60m signing of Jeremy Jacquet from Rennes after shoulder injury recovery.”
Since undergoing the operation, Jacquet has successfully completed a rehabilitation programme and is now doing individual fitness work. He will be available for the start of pre-season training, with Liverpool players returning on 14 July before travelling to the US on 20 July for a tour.
"For me it's a big dream. It's a big club," Jacquet said. "I feel really good, the first impressions are good and I am very happy to start here. When I see the facilities, I can see myself there. I feel good here and I am very excited to get started."
Jacquet came through the Rennes academy and made 33 appearances in Ligue 1. He becomes the second most expensive defender in Liverpool history, behind only Virgil van Dijk, who cost £75m from Southampton in January 2018. He will join club captain Van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Giovanni Leoni as centre-half options for new head coach Andoni Iraola. That trio was weakened after Ibrahima Konate left the club to join Real Madrid on a free transfer when his contract expired.
Leoni, 19, has also been recovering from injury. The Italian's debut at Anfield was ruined by an anterior cruciate ligament injury that ended his season, but he is continuing fitness and rehabilitation work and is expected to be involved in pre-season at some point. No date has been set for his return. Liverpool believe they have secured the two finest young defenders from France and Italy in Jacquet and Leoni, who arrived from Parma for just under £30m 11 months earlier.
Van Dijk, who turns 35 this month, is expected to feature on the US tour after the Netherlands exited the World Cup at the round-of-32 stage on Monday. Jacquet, meanwhile, is eager to learn from the two-time Premier League winner. "For me it's a big dream, it's a big club. A club like Liverpool, it's a big dream for me," he said.