Chelsea are in the market for January reinforcements as they look to bolster their squad under new head coach Liam Rosenior, and are poised to beat Arsenal to the signing of a highly-rated Stade Rennes defender.
Rosenior is eager to upgrade his defensive options after replacing Enzo Maresca at Stamford Bridge earlier this month.
The former Strasbourg coach has made a mixed start to his reign at Chelsea, beating Charlton in the FA Cup and Brentford in the Premier League – either side of a Carabao Cup semi-final first-leg loss to Arsenal.
While the Englishman has repeatedly praised the talent of his Chelsea team, he is believed to be hoping to sign a new centre-back before the January transfer window shuts.
Chelsea reportedly agree personal terms with $75M Rennes centre-back
Maresca was left disappointed by Chelsea’s decision not to sign a replacement centre-back for the injured Levi Colwill during the summer and now, Rosenior is also asking for a reinforcement in the heart of defence.
It is believed that Chelsea first expressed interest in French centre-back Jeremy Jacquet of Rennes six months ago and have stepped up their transfer efforts since the January transfer window opened.
It is said that Jeremy Jacquet is excited about the possibility of joining Chelsea but Rennes want a club record fee of around $75M (£56M) to greenlight his departure, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.
The highly-rated defender, 20, signed a contract extension at the Ligue 1 side back in May 2025, but it’s understood that Jacquet did so with the agreement that he would be sold should a suitable offer arrive amid interest from Arsenal and Chelsea.
However, the Blues have so far shown a reluctance to pay that fee for Jacquet and are hoping that Rennes compromise on their transfer demand and sell him for cheaper.
But whether the French club will strike a deal at a lower fee remains to be seen, with Arsenal’s interest likely to be used as leverage in negotiations.
