Over the last few days, it has become quite clear that Chelsea are trying to sign a centre-back before this transfer window closes. That makes sense considering how shaky they have looked defensively throughout the season. Enzo Maresca had called for one in the summer itself after Levi Colwill's injury in pre-season but those requests fell on deaf ears.
Since then, Chelsea have seemingly changed their stance on the need for a centre-back. Unfortunately, that has come too late for Maresca, who was sacked recently and replaced with Liam Rosenior.
From his time managing Strasbourg in France, Rosenior should be well aware of the top young talents in Ligue 1. And it looks like Chelsea are aiming to sign one of them this winter.
That player is none other than Jeremy Jacquet. And Chelsea's hopes of signing the French centre-back have now been boosted significantly with the latest update on the situation.
€70m defender informs club he wants to join Chelsea, talks underway
As reported by Ben Jacobs, Jacquet has informed Rennes that he would like to join Chelsea this winter. Club-to-club talks are ongoing. The French club hadn't planned for a January exit, and are hoping for a record transfer, surpassing the €64 million fee Jeremy Doku moved to Manchester City for.
Jacquet is considered one of the top young centre-backs in all of football. The French youth international is a regular for Rennes.
He is aerially dominant, has great passing, and is brilliant at winning the ball. That being said, there are quite a few weaknesses in his game as well that could see him struggle in the Premier League.
All things considered, a move for Jacquet would be a risky one and it would be much smarter for Chelsea to go for a proven and experienced option instead. Then again, we all know that's not how the club work. In fact, it feels like signing high-potential youngsters is more important to the ownership than long-term success.