Arthur Theate has signed a new contract with Rennes and there ‘was never any question’ of the Belgium international joining Premier League giants Liverpool over the summer.
Linked with a potential £30 million move to Anfield by L’Equipe in August, the pony-tailed centre-half may have already delivered a fatal blow to any hopes Liverpool may have had about renewing their interest in the New Year.
Arthur Theate is committing his immediate future to Stade Rennais; the ink still drying on a new and improved contract which could keep the former Bologna stopper at Roazhon Park until the summer of 2027.
Arthur Theate may have scuppered Liverpool plans
“I’m happy in Rennes. The season promises to be exciting,” Theate tells the club’s official website. “We will do everything to make it beautiful.
“I want to be part of it for the long term. My family feels good here. It’s the perfect project. My ambitions and my head are in Rennes, (and) the club has confidence in me.
“That’s important.”
There were some suggestions, in the French press, that Joel Matip could cross the Channel as part of the deal which may have seen Theate move in the other direction. An aggressive, left-footed centre-half, Liverpool’s interest comes at a time in which Virgil van Dijk’s longevity is starting to come into question; the Dutchman turning 33 within the next 12 months.
Liverpool move was never on the cards
According to Rennes’ general director Olivier Cloarec, however, Theate was never going to end up on Merseyside before the window closed on September 1st.
“Arthur had a good first season and contributed to this great fourth place. The team finished third best defence (in Ligue 1). We are very happy to extend (his contract),” Cloarec explains.
“He was called upon this summer (by interested clubs). But, for him and for us, there was never any question of a departure. He is convinced that he can have a good season with Rennes.”
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