Liverpool get GREEN light to complete €40 million January transfer

Liverpool have a golden chance to sign a bargain centre-back.

Right now, Arne Slot is struggling. One of the biggest factors as to why he's struggling is because of the lack of centre-back depth available to him.

Liverpool just don't have the options to rotate. Giovanni Leoni has been ruled out of the rest of the season and Joe Gomez is struggling with fitness issues.

So, Richard Hughes needs to enter the market and pursue a move. Thankfully, January is now just over a month away, and it will present the club's sporting director with the perfect opportunity to make a move and fix Liverpool's problems.

There's been a lot of talk about Marc Guehi but a move for him in the winter window just doesn't seem to make sense considering he is available on a free transfer in just a few months time.

Another player is available right now, and he's exactly what Liverpool are looking for.

The type of player Liverpool need at the moment is someone who is a very stable defender, reads the game well and can play alongside Virgil van Dijk to give Ibrahima Konate a bit of respite.

Konate is struggling at the moment in terms of form because he is being asked to play a lot of minutes. The amount of minutes he is playing he is simply not used to.

Liverpool have always rotated him and gave other players an option.

So, the Reds need a potential alternative to Konate. It would also be helpful if that alternative option could be someone who could also replace the Frenchman considering Konate is yet to extend his current deal at Anfield, which expires at the end of the season.

Who might be the perfect solution for this. Jeremy Jacquet. You might be asking, who?

He's a 20-year-old centre-back currently playing for Rennes who broke onto the scene in Ligue 1 last season. A French U21 international, Jacquet has really stood out as one of the best young centre-backs in Europe's top five leagues over the course of the last calendar year.

Jacquet is first and foremost an excellent defender. He reads the game well, he's extremely fast and strong in his duels and he's good at closing space and anticipating where the ball is going to go.

Blessed with a towering physique, long legs that can stretch out and make important blocks, clearances and challenges, Jacquet is the definition of what you want from your centre-back.

On top of everything, he's also a very composed player on the ball.

The numbers support that as well. Jacquet has won 63% of his defensive duels and 70% of his aerial duels. He's only one of 17 centre-backs in Europe's top five leagues under the age of 25 who has won at least 60% of his defensive duels and 60% of his aerial duels while also averaging at least eight progressive passes per 90 minutes.

Now if we increase the threshold to winning at least 70% of aerial duels, he's only one of three defenders fitting that criteria.

One thing that stands out about Jacquet is that he is effective at spraying long passes. Out of centre-backs who average 3.5 long passes at least per 90 minutes from the above criteria, Jacquet has the best long pass accuracy (63.44%).

Now CaughtOffside are reporting that Rennes' asking price for the player is just €40m, with Manchester United among the clubs ready to meet that figure.

Liverpool should be among them, too. That asking price is a green light for Richard Hughes to make a move.

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