Jeremy Jacquet has told Rennes he would like to move to Chelsea this winter, The Pitch Prospect has learned.
There are personal relationships with the 20-year-old French central defender.
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Rennes were not expecting a January exit when the window opened as they push for a Champions League place.
The Ligue 1 side are hoping for a record sale that will surpass the €64 million they sold Jeremy Doku to Man City for.
Why does Chelsea want a central defender?
Chelsea’s starting value is believed to be lower as talks between the clubs are still ongoing.
The Blues were already looking for a new central defender last summer.
Initially, Dean Huijsen had been their priority, but eventually it became clear that the former Bournemouth star would be moving to Real Madrid.
With that route closed, Chelsea would only sign one who would be a regular player and not a development player.
Therefore, they didn’t intentionally deny Enzo Maresca a new centre-back, but wanted to make sure they signed the right player.
However, Levi Colwill’s cruciate ligament injury made the situation at Stamford Bridge even more difficult.
The situation at center back is such that there are currently no outstanding performers in the ranks.
Trevoh Chalobah, Tosin Adarabioyo, Benoit Badiashile, Wesley Fofana and youngster Josh Acheampong are the current options for new manager Liam Rosenior.
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Chelsea are understood to have left a place vacant in Champions League List A to ensure they can register a new signing should one materialize.
How is Chelsea doing in the Premier League?
Rosenior picked up his first win as Blues coach on Saturday as they beat west London rivals Brentford 2-0 at Stamford Bridge.
This came after a 3-2 defeat in the League Cup semi-final first leg against Arsenal in his first game.
His players suffered an illness that swept through camp last week.
However, given the circumstances, Rosenior was delighted with his stars’ performance in the win.
“[The illness is] “I’m a player who moves through the squad,” he said. “Today we had a few players playing who were complaining about their chest. They put in a great effort. I felt like we didn’t handle the ball well because of that.
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“I’m so happy with the attitude of the group to get through this game.”
He added: “I felt the attitude, the energy, the value and the fundamentals of football,” Rosenior said.
“When you play against a good team like Brentford, what pleased me most – what was reflected in the two goals – was the willingness of the players to fight, the willingness to block shots, make headers and tackles.”
“This attitude gave us the two goals that won us the game.”
The win leaves Chelsea in sixth place, ahead of Brentford and three points behind fourth-placed Liverpool.