Liverpool’s £60million centre-back Jeremy Jacquet will undergo surgery on his injured shoulder and may not play for Rennes again.
The Frenchman, who will join up with Arne Slot’s side in the summer, was permitted to stay with the Ligue 1 team after agreeing his next step in January but was then sidelined.
Rennes and Liverpool had been deliberating on the best course of action and with the player still experiencing persistent pain, it was decided that he will have an operation, his club confirmed.
The surgery will take place this week and the injury is a huge setback for both Rennes and Jacquet, 20, himself.
Typical recovery time is between two-and-a-half and three months, which means fans of the French side are unlikely to see him in action for them again.
Jacquet dislocated his shoulder in February just days after agreeing the move to Liverpool.
Jeremy Jacquet suffered a nasty shoulder injury for Rennes and will have surgery
He was forced off in the 66th minute of the game against Lens on February 7, prompting Slot to comment on his team’s misfortune extending beyond his own club.
At the time, the Liverpool boss said: ‘Even if we sign a player and he’s not even playing for us he gets injured.
‘Sometimes it feels like that but the moment you start to feel it’s all bad luck, it probably comes to you as well so we should keep it away as much as possible and focus on the performance and what we can do to improve it.’
Jacquet had been a key man as part of a three-man defence for Rennes and they have adapted to a back four in his absence.
The young defender is regarded as one of the most promising players in his position in Europe.
The Liverpool deal is worth £55m guaranteed with potential add ons up to £5m and Jacquet is understood to have agreed a five-year contract with the option for a further year.
He was subject of longstanding and significant interest from Chelsea and other major European clubs due to his status as an outstanding central defensive prospect.
Chelsea offered the same deal as Liverpool but, from their perspective, the tone of talks changed when it became apparent that Mamadou Sarr would be returning to Stamford Bridge and Josh Acheampong was staying.
Liverpool’s own long-term interest accelerated late in the transfer window, with the player having set his heart on a move to Anfield determining that they also offered a better career pathway than Chelsea.
