Report: Liverpool targeting £9m youngster hailed as one of the best young defenders of his generation

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Having already signed one Rennes centre-back ahead of the 2026 summer transfer window, Liverpool reportedly have their eyes on another.The Reds snapped Jeremy Jacquet up in January after watching him force his way into the Rennes starting XI.Since then, the 20-year-old has sadly picked up a shoulder injury which is likely to rule him out for the rest of the campaign. In the meantime, Moroccan youngster Abdelhamid Ait Boudlal has stepped in, with Liverpool now said to be watching him especially closely as well.

Is a fifth-place finish enough to warrant Arne Slot remaining Liverpool manager? Credit: Shaun Brooks/CameraSport/Getty Images Liverpool interested in Abdelhamid Ait BoudlalAlong with Jacquet, Liverpool could be looking for another centre-back this summer if Ibrahima Konate does not sign a new contract.And according to Africa Foot, Ait Boudlal is one of the players coming onto the radar at Anfield.The Reds are claimed to have been watching the 20-year-old ever since his impressive performances with the Morocco U17s side, ‘closely monitoring’ his progress over the years.Liverpool are reportedly leaning into a strategy of signing ‘technically gifted and versatile players,’ and see Ait Boudlal as part of that.Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty ImagesREAD MORE: Liverpool will only sign Marcos Senesi this summer on one condition as Tottenham disrupt plansThere will seemingly be stiff competition for his signature whenever he leaves Rennes, though, with Borussia Dortmund named as being the current leaders.Ajax, Monaco and RB Leipzig are all named as potential suitors too, with the latter appreciating Ait Boudlal’s ‘physical attributes and his ability to play out from the back cleanly.’Who is Ait Boudlal?Having come through the academy at Rennes, Ait Boudlal has made his breakthrough into the senior team across the course of the season.Already a full senior Morocco international as well, the defender is rightly being talked up as one of the best youngsters in Europe this season.

You can only pick ONE player for Liverpool to sign this summer, who is it? Who should Richard Hughes be targeting above all… Photo Credit: Getty Images/Robin Jones Africa Foot insist that Ait Boudlal is ‘one of the most promising profiles of his generation’, and it feels only a matter of time before he follows Jacquet and makes the leap to one of Europe’s top teams.Liverpool already have two of Ait Boudlal’s peers in Jacquet and Giovanni Leoni, and it would perhaps be a surprise to see them go in for another young centre-back.Nevertheless, his progress at Rennes is certainly worth following as one to keep an eye on in the future.