An in-depth look at Jérémie Jaquet, the 20-year-old player Liverpool paid £60 million for, with experts pointing to him as the next Virgil van Dijk.
On 3 Feb 2026 GMT+7, Liverpool finalized the deal to acquire Jérémie Jaquet, a 20-year-old French defender from Ligue 1 club Rennes, for a record £60 million.
Despite Liverpool's defensive struggles this season—conceding 33 goals in 24 Premier League matches—and injury crises, manager Jürgen Klopp's team agreed to wait until season's end to sign Jaquet from Rennes.
The reason for not signing him immediately was that Rennes refused to sell mid-season and insisted on a transfer fee exceeding the club's previous record of £55.4 million, paid by Manchester City for Jérémie Doku in 2023.
Liverpool signed Jérémie Jaquet on a five-year contract until 2031, with an option for an additional year. The club believes he is a young defender with senior-level experience beyond his years, and internal analysis indicates he has a very high development ceiling.
Julien Laurens, ESPN’s French football expert, said that although the fee is high, Jaquet possesses all the attributes to become one of the world’s best center-backs in the coming years, including height, speed, strength, aerial dominance, one-on-one defending, and excellent game reading.
While his technical ball skills can still improve, he is a quick learner with the potential to reach the same level as Virgil van Dijk in the future.
This season at Rennes, he has primarily played in a three-man defense. Previously, at age 18, he was loaned to Clermont in Ligue 2 for more game time before being recalled in January 2025. To date, he has appeared in 36 Ligue 1 matches.
A key strength is his aerial ability, winning 75.51% of aerial duels—the highest rate among Ligue 1 defenders in the 2025–26 season.