Liverpool have reached a verbal agreement for a move worth up to £60 million for Rennes centre-back Jeremy Jacquet.
The 20-year-old, who Chelsea are targeting, is expected to move to Anfield this summer.
Liverpool have agreed to pay a fixed fee of £55m, plus £5m in performance-related fees.
Jaquet will undergo a medical check at Liverpool on deadline day.
Chelsea offered him exactly the same contract as Liverpool, but when it became clear in the last 48 hours that Mamadou Sarr would return to Chelsea and Josh Acheampong would stay, the player changed his mind and decided to move to Liverpool.
Chelsea’s squad is packed with young centre-backs, so it is believed he is likely to play more regularly in the long term.
The Blues currently have Trevor Chalobah, Wesley Fofana, Tosin Adarabioyo, Benoît Badiashile, Axel Disasi, Aaron Anselmino and Jorel Hato in the first team. Levi Colwill could return from injury before the end of the season, while Sarr is also set to return from his loan to Strasbourg.
However, DiSasi has not played for Chelsea this season and is expected to leave before Monday’s transfer deadline, while Anselmino is on loan at Strasbourg in place of Sarr, who has returned from Borussia Dortmund.
Liverpool are lacking in centre-back options. With Joe Gomez and Giovanni Leoni injured, Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate are the only senior players suitable for their positions.
Konate’s contract expires at the end of the season and he could leave for free in the summer. Jaquet was signed after Liverpool’s deadline-day move to sign Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace fell through last summer.
Man City signed Guehi from Palace for £20 million in this transfer window, six months before his contract expired. Liverpool were interested in him on a free transfer in the summer, but the price was not as high as City paid in January.
Lawrence: The jacket is real.
French soccer expert Julien Laurence:
“He’s the real deal. I know he’s only 20 years old, but he’s never played for France, never played in the Champions League or the Europa League.
“He still has a long way to go, but he did well last season when Rennes brought him back from loan in the second division, and this season under coach Habib Bayet.
“Don’t get me wrong, he’s going to be great.
“When I look at him, I am reminded of when William Saliba appeared on the French scene with Saint-Étienne or Wesley Fofana.
“The important thing is how much you value his potential and talent. You would pay a lot of money for a player who doesn’t have a lot of track record. That’s a lot of money for such a young player.”
