Liverpool have completed the signing of Jeremy Jacquet for an initial £55m.
The defender’s move from Rennes, which was agreed in January, has been formalised and he has agreed a five-year contract, with an option for a sixth season.
Jacquet, whose fee could rise by a further £5m in add-ons, is expected to be fit for the start of pre-season after being ruled out since February with a shoulder injury.
His arrival gives Liverpool a replacement for Ibrahima Konate, who left on a free transfer when his contract expired and has since joined Real Madrid.
Chelsea were also interested in the 20-year-old Jacquet but Liverpool moved for him in the winter window, with the proviso he would remain at Rennes for the remainder of the campaign.
His return from a dislocated shoulder is welcome for Liverpool, as fellow centre-back Giovanni Leoni has been sidelined by a cruciate ligament injury he suffered on his debut against Southampton in September.
Jacquet’s arrival gives Liverpool four centre-backs for the season, with Leoni, Joe Gomez and the captain Virgil van Dijk.
They have already made one signing this summer, in Spain winger Victor Munoz for £34m, while they offered RB Leipzig and £86m package for Yan Diomande.
