Liverpool Land Jacquet After Palace's "Monstrous" Ordonez Bid Crumbles

Liverpool have made their defensive reinforcements official, agreeing a £60m deal with Rennes for Jeremy Jacquet as the transfer window reaches its climax. The 20-year-old French centre-back—widely regarded as one of the continent's brightest young talents—will complete his move to Anfield in the summer after remaining with the Ligue 1 side for the remainder of the campaign.

The Reds have fended off Chelsea's interest to land the youngster, with personal terms already sorted and the paperwork finalised. Fabrizio Romano confirmed the move on Sunday evening, revealing the fee structure: €60m plus €10m in add-ons heading Rennes' way.

That breakthrough comes as Liverpool maintain their pursuit of another defensive prospect. Joel Ordonez, the 21-year-old Club Brugge centre-back, remains on their radar after Crystal Palace's ambitious window-closing attempt came unstuck. The Eagles tabled what Belgian outlet Het Laatste Nieuws described as a "monstrous bid"—reportedly at least €40m—only to see it firmly rebuffed by the Belgian club, who refused to sanction a sale so late in the transfer window.

Palace were hunting for a replacement following Marc Guehi's departure to Manchester City, but Brugge held firm. Liverpool scouts have been regular observers of Ordonez's development in Belgium and maintain strong ties with Independiente del Valle in Ecuador, the academy that nurtured the defender alongside fellow talents Moises Caicedo and Piero Hincapie. The Reds' interest appears geared towards the summer rather than immediate reinforcement.

Jamie Carragher has welcomed the Jacquet acquisition but expressed frustration at the timing. "I'm pleased they've made a signing in that area," he said. "Liverpool need reinforcement there right now, but they definitely need it in the summer too. It looks like Konate maybe going to move on—he still hasn't signed a contract—so they're getting their young centre-backs for the future. Unfortunately, Leoni, who they signed last summer, has had an ACL injury."

The former Liverpool defender acknowledged the logic behind the loan-to-buy arrangement with Rennes, allowing the French club continuity through the season. Yet he remains unconvinced the Reds have done enough to address their immediate defensive crisis. "Yes, I can understand it, but it's their player. You have to play by their rules. Liverpool paid top money for a player of that age and the future holds well at centre-back, but they have pressing problems right now that they need to fix," Carragher explained.

When pressed on whether Liverpool should have pursued a second defender before the deadline, Carragher was emphatic: "Yes, I would still like to see Liverpool sign another defender today, because I think they will need one before the end of the season."