Liverpool have agreed a £60million package for Rennes defender Jeremy Jacquet.
The deal is £55m with a further £5m in add-ons for the 20-year-old.
Chelsea have been pushing to sign the France U21 international and were considered favourites but Liverpool are closing on agreement with the player.
A deal is still to be finalised but is tipped in Liverpool’s favour.
Jacquet recognises he could have a greater chance of playing first team football with the Premier League champions but will stay with Rennes for the rest of the season.
The deal was the preference of Rennes who did not wish to lose the young defender in this window, allowing them to replace him at the end of the season.
Jeremy Jacquet is set to join Liverpool after the Reds agreed a £60million deal with Rennes
Chelsea had been leading the race for the 20-year-old’s signature before Liverpool’s proposal
Chelsea were told by Rennes and Jacquet’s camp that the fee and personal terms were not an issue as deadline day neared.
However, in the last 48 hours, it was communicated to the Blues that Jacquet was prioritising a move to Liverpool.
The reasoning given to Chelsea is understood to be that he was concerned by Mamadou Sarr returning from Strasbourg and their refusal to entertain offers for academy graduate Josh Acheampong – whereas there will be less competition at Liverpool upon his arrival.
