'Poor kid!' - France World Cup winner feels sorry for Jeremy Jacquet after £62m Liverpool deal

Liverpool will welcome a new centre-back next summer in the shape of Jeremy Jacquet.

The 20-year-old comes on board from Rennes in Ligue 1 after Richard Hughes agreed a deal during the January transfer window.

The Premier League champions have committed to a deal that could eventually reach £62m in upfront payments and add-ons - a hefty sum for a player with just over 30 top-flight matches in his career.

But Reds’ recruiters clearly like what they have seen from Jacquet - a France under-21 international who will ink a deal until 2031 at Anfield.

Liverpool set for centre-back shakeup

Liverpool’s centre-back needs are growing - with uncertainty over Ibrahima Konate’s contract future and ongoing concerns with Joe Gomez’s fitness.

Virgil van Dijk is expected to remain at the club until 2027 but the club are in the midst of a total central defensive rebuild.

Jacquet will be joined in the first-team picture by Giovanni Leoni next season - currently sidelined with an ACL injury - while Ifeanyi Ndukwe, Mor Talla Ndiaye and Noah Adekoya are all set for an Anfield breakthrough too.

The decision to pay so much for Jacquet has however been queried by Christophe Dugarry - a France 1998 World Cup winner.

He believes that the £62m price tag will end up bringing added pressure and scrutiny to Jacquet’s performances.

Dugarry: Liverpool are 'suckers'

The ex-Barcelona forward also described Liverpool as “suckers” for paying so much for the promising talent.

"This isn't meant to offend the player; honestly, he's not to blame at all, and we wish him all the best because he's a good player. When you have suckers like that... Well done to Rennes," the World Cup winner said on RMC.

"Rennes managed to find a sucker like Liverpool for 72 million euros.”

Reminded of Manchester United’s decision to pay big money for Lille’s Leny Yoro the pundit continued his rant - bemoaning the current transfer landscape as having lost its mind.

“Let them continue, all these English clubs, sending tens of millions of euros," he went on.

Jacquet under pressure says Dugarry

"This isn't just a two-tiered football situation anymore, it's a football that's lost its mind," he said.

"Let's stop trying to pretend there's a justification for it. There's no justification whatsoever."

Jacquet will be expected to come into the club and challenge immediately for a first-team place. Liverpool have got space for senior centre-backs right now - something that has been pointed out by fans unhappy with the club’s January transfer business.

But with Konate set to depart - and perhaps offers to be entertained for Gomez - it will be up to Jacquet to prove himself from the off.

"And even for poor little Jacquet, this transfer is going to put a lot of pressure on him,” Dugarry stated.

“Even him, the poor kid, who is certainly a very good player, is going to arrive with a pall of pressure.

"His performances will be viewed differently, even though he doesn't deserve it. Those of us who know football, let's not try to justify this amount by saying it's because Liverpool has money or whatever. It's meaningless!

"I don't know what's going on. It's ridiculous! No, it's not supply and demand. It's ridiculous! It's ridiculous!"

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