Archive February 1, 2026

Rennes defender Jeremy Jacquet is set to have a medical at Liverpool before finalising a potential £60m move to Anfield – but the centre-half will not be joining the club in the current transfer window.

If the transfer is completed, the 20-year-old will switch to the Reds in the summer, after the clubs reached agreement on a £55m fee plus £5m in add-ons.

The France Under-21 international would sign a five-year deal until the summer of 2031 with the option of a further year.

Chelsea are known to have held talks with Jacquet during the winter window, but it is understood they will not match Liverpool’s bid.

Liverpool are looking to bolster their centre-back options, with France defender Ibrahima Konate’s current contract set to expire at the end of this season.

Arne Slot’s side missed out on Marc Guehi last summer, with the England centre-half then opting to join Manchester City in January.

Liverpool are spending a lot of money for a player that has played just 36 times in Ligue 1 but they see Jeremy Jacquet as a massive long-term investment.

To get a sense of how highly Jacquet is rated, Liverpool have fought off competition from Chelsea and Bayern Munich while Arsenal showed interest in the defender last summer.

Liverpool could definitely have done with the centre-back joining now but the fact is that he wasn’t available to move in January, with Rennes unwilling to sanction a transfer until the summer.

The Frenchman is comfortable on the ball and can play in a back three or a back four, while Liverpool are impressed with his senior experience in Ligue 1. He is expected to fit a possession-based system while his aerial ability and defensive reading skills are all noted too.

Of course, there’s plenty of room to still improve but this is a move that once again shows Liverpool’s succession planning for their back line. Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong and Giovanni Leoni all joined in the summer while they have made a number of youth signings in this window too.

Liverpool have agreed a £60m deal for Rennes defender Jeremy Jacquet – but the centre-half will not be joining the club in the current transfer window.

Subject to a medical, the 20-year-old will move to the Reds in the summer after the clubs reached agreement on a £55m fee plus £5m in add-ons.

Personal terms are not expected to be an issue with the France Under-21 international.

Chelsea are known to have held talks with Jacquet during the winter window, but it is understood they will not match Liverpool’s bid.

Liverpool are looking to bolster their centre-back options, with France defender Ibrahima Konate’s current contract set to expire at the end of this season.

Arne Slot’s side missed out on Marc Guehi last summer, with the England centre-half then opting to join Manchester City in January.

World number one Judd Trump claimed his first trophy since the UK Championship in November 2024 with a 10-4 victory over Shaun Murphy in the German Masters final in Berlin.

It is a record-extending fourth title in the event for Trump, who also won in 2020, 2021 and 2024.

The 36-year-old won the first two frames of the match with breaks of 101 and 71 only for Murphy to level it at 2-2 before Trump pulled away again to lead 5-3 at the interval.

Former world champion Murphy had been hoping to win the event’s Brandon Parker Trophy which commemorates his friend and manager who had been a key figure in promoting the Berlin tournament before he died of cancer in 2020.

He started the evening session with intent and a break of 60 left him in control of the ninth frame only for Trump to return to the table and clear it to start a run of four consecutive frames and move close to victory.

Luke Humphries called Luke Littler “the greatest darts player who has ever lived” after the teenager won his first World Masters title to become the joint-third most successful player in the PDC era.

The 19-year-old beat world number two Humphries 6-5 and now has 11 major PDC titles, leaving him level with James Wade and behind only Michael van Gerwen (48) and Phil Taylor (79).

Beaten finalist Humphries told ITV4: “You look back on the whole game. It’s hard to pick holes in it. It’s only the three at double top [he missed].

“That’s the pressure he puts you under. He has shown that through class. He never folds under pressure.

“I think he’s the greatest darts player who has ever lived.”

The win for Littler, which followed on from beating Gerwyn Price 5-4 in a terrific match in the semi-finals, has left the European Championship as the only major television PDC title still to be won by the two-time world champion.

A high-quality finale saw 25 maximums thrown as the lead changed hands multiple times before Littler eventually nailed his favourite double 10 to seal the £100,000 first prize.

After a semi-final that saw Price miss a match dart, Littler upped his level from the start. A stunning 153 checkout laid down the gauntlet to Humphries, but the world number two came into the final having beaten Gian van Veen 5-0 in the last four and continued in that form by winning the opening set.

Littler, who averaged 104.72 to Humphries’ 105.51 in the final, then powered into a 3-1 lead, hitting a 121 finish along the way. But Humphries did not want to concede the title he won last year and levelled the match.

With the score at 3-1 to the world champion, Humphries rallied with 10 and 13-dart legs on his way to levelling the match.

Littler missed three darts to move into a 5-3 lead and Humphries capitalised to level again before hitting his first 100-plus checkout on his way to moving one set away from another title.

The world number one said he had “absolutely nothing left” at that stage but was able to “dig deep”.

“I’m shattered, absolutely knackered. Going into the last break at 5-4 [down], I said I have nothing left, absolutely nothing, but I just managed to dig deep,” Littler said.

“I was fully focussed and managed to get the job done. It has been a weird week and tough at times but this is why we battle every game and every leg, and I’ve come out victorious.

“It has been me and Luke in the first major of the year and I’m sure it will continue.”

Ultimately, Littler’s surge after the final break proved crucial. He reeled off legs in 13 and then 12 darts to force a deciding set.

A break of throw in the first leg of the deciding set gave Littler control and he did not let it slip. One dart at double 10 was all he needed to land his first World Masters title.

Final

Luke Littler 6-5 Luke Humphries

Semi-finals

Luke Littler 5-4 Gerwyn Price

Luke Humphries 5-0 Gian van Veen

Quarter-Finals

Chris Dobey 2-4 Gerwyn Price

Luke Littler 4-0 Josh Rock

Gian van Veen 4-2 James Wade