Chelsea are set to hold concrete talks with Rennes for Jeremy Jacquet, and it will take a premium offer to convince the Ligue 1 side.
According to Florian Plettenberg, Chelsea are set to hold further talks with Rennes for Jeremy Jacquet. The defender has climbed to the top of their centre-back targets’ list for this month, with the Blues may be forced to pay a premium price for the young defender.
Chelsea have decided to sign a new centre-back before the January window shuts in an attempt to save their season. The Blues had this need under former boss Enzo Maresca last summer when they lost key man Levi Colwill to a serious knee injury, which could see him miss the entire season.
The Blues did not act on the issue and chose to strengthen other areas, while banking on their existing stars, including the injury-prone Wesley Fofana. Their decision has backfired in a big way as the Blues are well off the title race, and there are doubts about whether they can sustain a top-four battle.
The decision to pursue a new centre-back has been well received by their fans, and at the moment, Chelsea are actively pursuing a deal for Jeremy Jacquet. The young centre-back from Rennes had caught the attention of many top clubs, including Arsenal and Real Madrid, as Chelsea decided to start their push for the 20-year-old Ligue 1 prodigy a while back.
Chelsea are ready to accelerate their pursuit and are eager to beat off competition from rivals for the 20-year-old Ligue 1 prodigy. Earlier rumours stated the Blues had an agreement with Jacquet over personal terms, which might be true, although they are yet to convince Rennes over a deal.
Will Rennes sell Jeremy Jacquet?
Rennes are eager to keep Jacquet at least until the end of the season in the hope of having the centre-back to help them qualify for the Champions League. While they are also protected by a long-term contract, the French side are also in a strong position to demand significantly.
Rennes were expected to demand significantly, and as per the report, Chelsea must pay a large enough sum to convince the French side to sell the 20-year-old Ligue 1 prodigy. For now, talks are set to accelerate in the background, as the Blues will hope to get a deal in place for the centre-back.