Rennes defender Jeremy Jacquet has turned down the chance to join Arsenal, according to reports in France.
Arsenal have made clear their intentions after going another season without any silverware, spending in the region of £200million on six new signings across a busy summer transfer window.
But the Gunners’ hierarchy, spearheaded by new sporting director Andrea Berta, are determined to further bolster Mikel Arteta’s squad by capturing Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze, as well as a central defender, before the deadline.
Though Valencia centre-half Cristhian Mosquera completed a £13m switch to the Emirates last month, club bosses set their sights on Rennes’ Jacquet amid growing uncertainty over Jakub Kiwior’s future.
But French publication Foot Mercato claim Arsenal’s pursuit has come to nothing, with Jacquet opting to decline a proposed transfer to north London in order to continue his development at Roazhan Park.
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Rennes also have no intention of losing Jacquet, who is tied into a contract until June 2029.
Widely regarded to be among the most promising young defenders in French football, Jacquet completed a loan move to Ligue 2 outfit Clermont last summer with a view to securing guaranteed first-team minutes.
However, Jacquet earned a recall to Rennes midway through last term and went on to establish himself as regular starter at the heart of Habib Beye’s defence, making 11 league appearances for the club in the second half of the campaign.
Jacquet caught the eye playing in both a three-man and a four-man defence for Rennes. He also provided cover at full-back towards the back-end of the season.
After signing a contract extension earlier this summer, the versatile France Under-21 international said he was ‘very happy’ to continue his journey with Rennes and ‘achieve better results’ next season.
‘I’m very happy to be extending my contract with my club,’ he said.
‘The season went by very quickly, I played quickly after my return from loan in the winter and I think I played some good games.
‘The aim now is to get back to work and achieve better results next season.’
Meanwhile, Rennes’ sporting director, Loic Desire, told the club’s official website: ‘Jeremy perfectly embodies the club’s desire to build its project around Rennes’ training.
‘He was present at the Gambardella final this weekend, proof of his attachment to the Rouge et Noir academy.
‘He has great qualities, particularly athleticism, and exudes a great deal of confidence and strength for his age. We hope that he will go very far and continue to progress with Rennes.’
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