New Liverpool signing Jacquet excited to partner Van Dijk

Jeremy Jacquet is relishing the opportunity to learn from one of the world's best centre-backs in Virgil van Dijk, having officially joined Liverpool from Rennes.

The Reds agreed to sign the 20-year-old centre-back in a £60m (€69m) transfer in February, which officially went through on Wednesday.

Jacquet had been linked with several other Premier League clubs, and he is expected to take Ibrahima Konate's place in Liverpool's starting line-up after he joined Real Madrid on a free transfer. 

He made 19 Ligue 1 appearances as Rennes finished sixth in the French top flight in 2025-26, missing the end of the season after undergoing shoulder surgery in March.

Jacquet contributed to five clean sheets in that time, making 19 interceptions and 91 clearances, with only Anthony Rouault (111) bettering that latter figure.

And, after being officially unveiled as the second arrival of the Andoni Iraola era, after Spain forward Victor Munoz, Jacquet outlined his excitement at partnering Van Dijk.

"I'm really excited to line up alongside a great player like him. I think he's up there with the best centre-backs in the world currently, so I can only learn from him," he told the club's website.

"I don't like using the word 'idol', not even for the best players I admire. But naturally, he's a player I look up to. 

"As far as I'm concerned, he's one of the best centre-backs and if I want to reach the very top, I've got to absorb as much as I can from him, obviously."

Van Dijk's 55 starts in all competitions last term were the most of any Liverpool player. His former defensive partner Konate made 49, but fellow centre-back Joe Gomez was restricted to 19 and Giovanni Leoni only made one, suffering a serious knee injury in the EFL Cup.

Reflecting on his own injury-hit end to 2025-26, Jacquet offered reassurances that he will be ready to go for pre-season.

"I feel much improved and I will be 100% ready because I'm a little ahead of schedule," he said. 

"I was given the go-ahead to start a programme of training with the group [at Rennes] but it was a bit late to be with the team. But with continued hard work, I'll be fully fit before the season."

Liverpool will face Sunderland, Wrexham and Leeds United on a pre-season tour of the United States, with further Anfield friendlies against Monaco and Como to come in August.

They then open their first Premier League campaign under Iraola away at Newcastle United on August 23, with Nottingham Forest visiting Merseyside the following week.