Chelsea’s chase for Rennes defender Jeremy Jacquet goes to wire

Rennes' Jeremy Jacquet

Chelsea are letting the Jeremy Jacquet situation roll towards deadline day in the hope that they can still strike a last-minute deal.

The Rennes centre-back currently looks like staying in France for the rest of this season, and Chelsea had been expected to wait it out.

However, they are still very keen to push through an earlier deal if possible to avoid competition for his signature in the summer.

As such, Chelsea are not yet ruling out the prospect of a late twist in the situation - if the player pushes for the move.

It would take Jacquet to drive for the transfer to Chelsea at this stage so that they could complete the deal, as the London club feel they have already made their best attempts.

Chelsea are letting Axel Disasi leave before deadline day and have been prioritising a new defensive option.

They will not panic at this stage, but Jacquet’s profile perfectly fits with their strategy, and it could yet be that the 20-year-old has the power to bring a move back to life in the final hours.

Liverpool have also been linked with him, while Manchester United and Real Madrid also admire the Frenchman.

Meanwhile, Raheem Sterling has left the Blues after agreeing to a contract termination.

We revealed earlier today that the former England international has been trying to ensure he leaves the club permanently before the end of the month, as he was not interested in any more loan deals.

Dean Jones