Liverpool saw off some stiff competition to sign Jeremy Jacquet, who says he turned down interest from Manchester United and Chelsea.
The 20-year-old agreed a move to Anfield from Rennes in February, staying with the Ligue 1 side until a summer move.
The defender cost Liverpool a reported £55m up front, with £5m more in add-ons, which shows the high regard the youngster is held in.
Jacquet has been capped up to Under-21 level for France but not for the senior side, has not played in European competition and only has limited Ligue 1 experience.
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A serious shoulder injury suffered shortly after agreeing the Liverpool move has not helped him, as the Frenchman has not played since February.
However, the centre-back’s talent has been widely recognised, with a string of Premier League giants wanting to sign him.
Jacquet told Ouest France of his transfer saga: ‘Honestly, a lot of false things were said! My brother and I were saying, “Where did that come from? I never said that!” It was the first time I’d seen my name linked to social media like that… But anyway, it means clubs are interested in you.
‘I won’t say it happened quickly, because I took my time with this big step. But I quickly saw myself at Liverpool. I heard they came in at the last minute, but that’s not true. I’d been talking with them for a long time.’
Asked if Manchester United were one of the clubs interested in him, he said: ‘For example, but also other clubs that haven’t been mentioned. It didn’t happen in a week.’
Jacquet also namechecked Chelsea as an interested party and suggested there were too many players in the Blues squad to compete with.
The path to first team football seemed clearer at Anfield, while he welcomes the influence of captain Virgil van Dijk and compatriot Ibrahima Konate.
‘I’m focused on football. I spoke with the management; the club’s history weighed heavily on my decision, but so did the project they offered me,’ he explained.
‘At Chelsea, I felt there were quite a lot of [other] people. Whereas at Liverpool, apart from the fact that Virgil van Dijk is nearing the end of his career, training with him is going to be huge.
‘He’s going to teach me so much. There’s also Ibou Konate, who can help me settle in. Training with guys like that, it doesn’t get any better than that.’
On Jacquet’s signing in February, Reds boss Arne Slot said: ‘Very pleasing, of course, because first of all he is a very big talent – and maybe even more than “only” a talent, but we speak about talent because of his age, of course.
‘Second of all because we weren’t the only one interested in him, so another big compliment for the people that are working every single day so hard to sign players, that we were able to sign such a big talent.
‘And [it is] another example of the model we are using at this club: so, young, very talented players, sometimes in the start of their career, sometimes already a little bit a few years into their career, but always players that are young and can improve us and help us for the short, but definitely also for the long term.
‘We have signed a lot of them recently and I’ve said many times that the mid- to long-term, but even the short-term, future of this club is in a very, very, very good place.’
