Chelsea have held talks with Rennes over a move for defender Jérémy Jacquet, sources have told ESPN.
The Blues were originally planning on a quiet month before strengthening their squad in the summer but sources say they have chosen to accelerate their plans after rival clubs began stepping up their interest in the 20-year-old.
Jacquet, a France under-21 international, is open to a move to the Premier League but Rennes are demanding more than €60 million (£69.72m) and are in a strong position to negotiate with the 20-year-old’s existing contract set to expire in 2029.
However, personal terms are not expected to be an issue and Chelsea are aiming to progress talks with Rennes in the coming days.
Jacquet is a Rennes academy graduate and made his debut in January 2024. He has made 16 appearances this season and was sent off in a 5-0 defeat at Paris Saint-Germain last month.
The move to sign a centre-back comes after former head coach Enzo Maresca was told last summer that the club would not add a central defender last summer following a serious injury to Levi Colwill.
Chelsea had been interested in signing Dean Huijsen at the time but the Spaniard opted to join Real Madrid. The club then chose to wait for top targets to become available rather than enter the market at Maresca’s request.
Sources suggest that should a deal for Jacquet fall through, they could return to Bournemouth for Marcos Senesi, whose contract runs out at the end of the season, but there has been no contact between the clubs yet.
The Blues also hold an interest in Como defender Jacabo Ramón, who is also being tracked by Real.
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Chelsea’s ability to act in the market is complicated by a need to comply with a sanctions relating to a breach of UEFA’s financial rules.
They must record a positive balance in player trading relating to their Champions League squad, although club sources insist they have the flexibility to add a player should the need arise.
Colwill is progressing well from knee surgery and is expected to return before the end of the season.
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