'Am I worth it?' - Liverpool-bound Jacquet opens up on ￡60m price tag

Jeremy Jacquet Rennes 2025-26

Jeremy Jacquet has admitted that the significant transfer fee Liverpool paid to secure his services from Rennes has naturally brought a level of scrutiny to his young shoulders. The defender, who is set to officially join the Reds this summer, questioned whether he is truly worth the £60 million investment while expressing total confidence in his ability to succeed on Merseyside.

Stepping up to the plate at Anfield

The Rennes defender, who does not turn 21 until July, agreed a move in February with Liverpool paying £55m up front plus a further £5m in add-ons, which would make him the 10th most expensive French player in history. Despite the eyes of the world watching his every move, the youngster is eager to prove that the Reds were right to invest so heavily in his potential after just 31 senior appearances in Ligue 1.

"I won't say it [his decision] was a quick one, because I took my time with this big step but I quickly saw myself at Liverpool," he told French newspaper Ouest-France. "I'll be 21 in July. For me, there's the sporting project and the personal project. At my age, I prioritise the sporting side. I'm focused on football."

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Dealing with the pressure of the price tag

Liverpool view Jacquet as a long-term solution in the heart of their defence and acted decisively to beat Chelsea to his signature. However, he is under no illusions about the expectations that come with such a massive financial package for a player of his relatively limited experience at the highest level of the game.

"Promising young players command quite high prices and of course, that adds pressure: am I worth that price or not? I think I have the minimum resources to go there. I'm going there to play as much as possible," Jacquet explained. He also revealed that he initially considered a smaller step before the allure of Anfield became too strong to ignore, stating: "If the biggest clubs in Europe are interested, we're not going to turn them down. They're there for a reason."

Snubbing Chelsea for a clear project

The race for his signature was a heated one, but the French starlet felt that Chelsea offered too much competition and too little clarity compared to the path laid out by Liverpool. With a serious shoulder injury now behind him, he expects to be fully fit and ready to go when pre-season begins under the watchful eye of the Liverpool coaching staff.

"At Chelsea, I felt there were quite a lot of people [in his position]. Whereas at Liverpool, apart from the fact that Virgil van Dijk is nearing the end of his career, training with him is going to be huge," he added. "He's going to teach me so much. There's also [fellow Frenchman] Ibou Konate, who can help me settle in. Training with guys like that, it doesn't get any better than that."

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Weight of history

Jacquet's arrival comes at a time of transition for the Liverpool backline, with Joe Gomez's future uncertain and Giovanni Leoni recovering from a serious knee injury. The youngster believes he has found the perfect environment to justify his price tag and establish himself as a regular fixture in the starting XI at Anfield for years to come. "I spoke with the management; the club's history weighed heavily on my decision but so did the project they offered me," Jacquet noted.