Jeremy Jacquet believes future team-mate Virgil van Dijk will "teach me so much", as the new Liverpool signing prepares to link up with the Reds.

The 20-year-old defender, who agreed a £60m ($81m) move to Anfield from Rennes in February, will officially join the club on July 1.

Liverpool fought off competition from fellow Premier League side Chelsea for the centre-half, who is set to become the 10th-most expensive French player in history.

And Jacquet, who should be fit for pre-season after missing the final three months of the 2025-26 campaign with a shoulder injury, highlighted his reasons for overlooking a move to Stamford Bridge.

"I won't say it [his decision] was a quick one, because I took my time with this big step, but I quickly saw myself at Liverpool," he told French newspaper Ouest-France.

"At Chelsea, I felt there were quite a lot of people [in his position]. 

"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 [Ibrahima] Konate, who can help me settle in. Training with guys like that, it doesn't get any better."

Jacquet is likely to jump up the pecking order above Joe Gomez, whose future at Liverpool is in doubt, while Giovanni Leoni is still recovering from a long-term knee injury he suffered on his Reds debut.

"For me, there's the sporting project and the personal project," he added. "At my age, I prioritise the sporting side. I'm focused on football.

"My agent told me there were two choices: either go to a mid-table club or skip the step altogether. Initially, we were leaning towards a mid-table club.

"But then I told him: 'If the biggest clubs in Europe are interested, we're not going to turn them down. They're there for a reason'.

"I spoke with the management; the club's history weighed heavily on my decision, but so did the project they offered me.

"Promising young players command quite high prices and, of course, that adds pressure: am I worth that price or not? I think I have the minimum resources to go there. I'm going there to play as much as possible."