Andoni Iraola comments confirm £60m centre-back will partner Van Dijk

Liverpool have made some big adjustments to their centre-back line over the last 12 months.

Giovanni Leoni was brought on board last summer for £26m from Parma. And Mor Talla was signed in January - with deals also put in place for Ifeanyi Ndukwe and Jeremy Jacquet.

The 20-year-old Frenchman is the headline arrival so far in this summer transfer window - costing a fee that could reach £60m from Rennes.

He is expected to be a future defensive leader for club and country - as is Leoni if all goes to plan.

Leoni and Jacquet are the future

Liverpool lost Ibrahima Konate on a free to Real Madrid and next summer Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez will be out of contract.

Leoni and Jacquet will have to forge a strong partnership over time - but right now the focus will be on who can partner Van Dijk.

Although Liverpool have been linked with senior centre-backs it now looks like they will go into the new season with Van Dijk, Gomez, Jacquet and Leoni as their options.

And Jacquet will have an early chance to stake a claim for a permanent role in the team having shaken off a shoulder injury he acquired in February.

Leoni isn't fit says Iraola

Because new coach Andoni Iraola has more or less confirmed that Leoni will NOT be fit to start the season - describing the 19-year-old as being absent with a long injury.

Leoni tore his ACL on debut last September versus Southampton in the EFL Cup and has been working on his recovery ever since then.

Although he has been pictured in training at the AXA Training Centre the young defender remains - alongside Conor Bradley and Hugo Ekitike - some way short of match fitness.

Jacquet likely to get the starting shirt

“You know, we haven't started training and we already have, especially in the cases of Hugo Ekitike, Conor Bradley, Giovanni Leoni, long injuries,” Iraola said according to the club’s official website.

“So, in terms of also improving the team we have to consider [that] we have to replace very important players that were making very good numbers, and also we have the situation with, especially those three, big injuries that are going to miss some time that we also have to find a way to replace.

“We know that these three players, for example, I love them, they are the long-term solutions, I'm sure.

“You know about Conor, about Giovanni, about Hugo, but there is going to be, especially in Hugo's case, a period where we will be without them and we have to try to find solutions also.”

Liverpool’s transfer priorities are elsewhere right now - including on the wings and perhaps at right-back. The club are not expected to spend big once again on centre-backs - especially having shelled out £60m for Jacquet.

It seems as thought the time has come to throw the France under-21 international into the team to see what he can do. We can expect that to happen once the players jet out for preseason duties in the United States next week.