Manchester United are reportedly battling with Chelsea and Liverpool to sign Stade Rennais star Jeremy Jacquet, as per TEAMtalk.
The Red Devils have struggled with defensive frailties thus far this season, conceding 30 goals in 20 Premier League matches. Only the bottom six teams have leaked more than them.
With Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt remaining sidelined due to their respective injury problems, Ayden Heaven, Leny Yoro, and Lisandro Martínez have been providing cover in the centre-back positions.
However, Heaven and Yoro are still very young and need time to develop; on the other hand, Martínez has just returned to full fitness after remaining sidelined for several months due to a serious knee injury.
Maguire’s long-term future is currently uncertain at Old Trafford as his existing deal is set to expire at the end of this season. So, it appears United have started exploring options to replace the Englishman.
Now, TEAMtalk report that Man Utd are ‘keen’ on signing Jacquet after monitoring his development closely over the last few months. However, purchasing the Frenchman won’t be straightforward for the Red Devils as Chelsea and Liverpool are also in this race.
Furthermore, Arsenal and Real Madrid have also been keeping a close eye on his development before making a potential swoop in January or next summer.
Battle
The 20-year-old is valued at around £17m by Transfermarkt and still has a contract until 2029. Therefore, Rennes are in a strong position to demand a sizable amount of money to let him leave.
Jacquet, standing at 6ft 3in tall, has started attracting a lot of attention, having displayed impressive performances in Ligue 1 this season, keeping five clean sheets in 16 appearances.
Liverpool have been in the market for a new centre-back as Ibrahima Konate’s long-term future is uncertain with his existing deal set to expire at the end of this season.
On the other hand, Chelsea have struggled to replace Levi Colwill, who has been sidelined since the start of this season due to a serious knee injury. So, it appears they are looking to reinforce the defence.
Jacquet is a highly talented player and would be a great coup for Liverpool, Man Utd, or Chelsea should any of those clubs eventually manage to secure his service.
