Liverpool in talks to sign big-money defender who’s better than Geertruida

As we move towards transfer deadline day this winter, some Liverpool fans might reflect on how the last deadline day played out.

While the Reds secured a deal to bring Alexander Isak to the club, they infamously missed out on Marc Guehi despite allegedly having agreed a deal.

Crystal Palace pulled the plug on a move after failing to secure a replacement, and six months later, he’s now a Manchester City player. It’s funny how fast things change in football, isn’t it?

As it happens, Liverpool are still on the hunt to sign their elusive centre-back and they could bring one in before the window slams shut at 7pm on Monday evening.

The latest on Liverpool’s hunt for a new defender

News broke on Sunday morning that Liverpool were locked in talks to sign Lutsharel Geertruida from RB Leipzig. The Dutch defender knows Arne Slot well and was the Dutchman’s captain during their time together at Feyenoord.

That said, it’s a move that unfortunately no longer looks as though it will progress. Fabrizio Romano reports that discussions took place over the last 24 hours, but an agreement could not be reached. As a result, the deal is now off.

While that would have been a short-term fix for Liverpool’s defensive problems, they are looking longer-term too.

That’s according to Fabrizio Romano who delivered the latest on their pursuit of Rennes centre-back Jeremy Jacquet. The Frenchman has been the subject of fierce interest from Chelsea this winter and both parties are in talks to acquire the 20-year-old.

Speaking on his YouTube channel on Sunday, Romano said: “Liverpool are in conversations for Jeremy Jacquet, in a battle with Chelsea. They are battling on every single million and every single detail of the player.

“They are talking to Rennes and talking to the player. But, Rennes will not sell this player in the window, it’s for the summer, it’s for season 2026/27. Liverpool and Chelsea are trying in every way to convince the player and get the green light.”

Previous reports have indicated it is likely to take more than £60m to prise him away from France this summer.

Why Jacquet should be Liverpool’s dream signing

If Liverpool could have secured a deal for Geertruida between now and Monday’s deadline, it would be a very smart pick-up.

This is a player who possesses enormous versatility, boasting the ability not just to play as a central defender where he could cover for Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate, but also as a right-back where he’d help fill the void left behind by the injured Conor Bradley.

Not only that, but the Dutchman can also play in midfield, something that adds an extra level of appeal to the deal.

That being said, he’s not Jacquet. In the words of Como scout Ben Mattinson, the young Frenchman has “top-five centre-back in the world potential” and is “world football’s next highly coveted centre-back”, which rather says it all.

Born in the same region of France as William Saliba, Bondy, comparisons are already starting to emerge between the two, and it’s easy to see why.

Jacquet made his breakthrough in Ligue 1 at a particularly young age and is only going from strength to strength in his homeland. So, what makes him so good?

Well, he plays with a certain maturity beyond his years and has that same effortless approach to defending that Saliba does at Arsenal.

Couple that with his long legs and it’s easy to see why he’s not just exceptional in the tackle but also has strong recovery pace to get back at attackers heading towards goal.

His data from Ligue 1 further pinpoints just how good this young defender is.

Indeed, when compared to positionally similar players in the French top-flight this term, Jacquet ranks in the top 6% for duels won per 90 minutes. He’s notably imperious in the air, winning 75.5% of his aerial duels, a statistic that ranks him among the best 7% of centre-backs in France and nearly puts him on the same pedastal as the great Van Dijk.

Much like Liverpool’s skipper, he’s also incredibly difficult to get past. He’s been dribbled past just 0.11 times per 90 minutes this season, meaning he ranks among the top 20% of centre-backs in Ligue 1 for that metric.

As Mattinson has alluded to, this is an elite-level centre-back in the making and while Geertruida represented a smart short-term solution, Jacquet is someone who could live at the heart of this Liverpool backline for years to come.