Manchester United are reportedly fighting with Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur over a deal to sign Stade Rennais centre-back Jeremy Jacquet. Caught offside.
The Red Devils currently have Harry Maguire, Matthijs de Ligt, Leny Yoro, Lisandro Martínez and Ayden Heaven as specialist centre-backs. However, Maguire has struggled with fitness issues in recent years and has entered the final few months of his current contract.
On the other hand, Martínez is also struggling with various injuries and has been sidelined since the beginning of this year with a serious knee injury.
Heaven is young and needs time to develop. So Amorim has used Luke Shaw in the LCB position. But the Red Devils have struggled with defensive weaknesses so far this season, conceding 21 goals in 13 games across all tournaments.
Now, Caught offside claim Man Utd have identified Jacquet as a serious option to strengthen their defensive department after impressing with his performances in Ligue 1.
The 20-year-old has three and a half years left on his current contract, but Rennes understand they cannot keep hold of a top talent like him and are ready to let him leave for a fee of up to £35 million.
Conflict
However, the youngster’s recent standout performances have not only caught the attention of United, with Tottenham, Arsenal, Chelsea and Crystal Palace also keen to secure his services.
Tottenham had a solid start to the season, but have been in a downward spiral in recent weeks. They even showed defensive weaknesses in the last two games against Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain, leaking nine goals.
Jacquet, 1.80 meters tall, is fast, strong, good in the air, comfortable playing at the back, efficient in defensive contributions and also reads the game well.
He is a very talented player and has the necessary attributes to flourish in the Premier League. So he would be a big step forward for Arsenal, Man Utd or Tottenham if any of those clubs were to buy him.
But given that Arsenal already have a very strong defensive department, the youngster might be better off at Man Utd or Spurs rather than the Gunners so he can play regularly and develop his career.
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