Liverpool set to lose star for pre-season after brutal surgery

Liverpool are set to be without a star for pre-season after a brutal need for surgery.

Liverpool signed Jeremy Jacquet back in January but the deal won't formally complete until the summer. This is one for the future, with Jacquet pinpointed as a potential superstar.

Maybe even a Virgil van Dijk successor?

That's the dream and why Liverpool were willing to drop £60m on a player who hasn't really got all that much experience. The raw tools are there for Jacquet to reach the absolute highest level, though.

But things are off to a bad start. One that will likely cost Jacquet some, if not all, of his pre-season.

Jeremy Jacquet: Situation Summary

Transfer Details and Financial Context

In February 2026, Liverpool finalised a deal to sign the 20-year-old centre-back from Stade Rennais for a total package of £60 million (£55 million upfront plus £5 million in add-ons). The transfer was structured so that Jacquet would remain at Rennes for the rest of the 2025/26 campaign before officially joining Arne Slot’s squad on 1 July 2026. This arrangement was reportedly designed to help Liverpool adhere to Premier League profit and sustainability rules (PSR) following their £450 million outlay in the summer of 2025.

Season-Ending Injury

On 7 February 2026, only days after his transfer to Liverpool was confirmed, Jacquet sustained a serious injury to his left shoulder during Rennes' 3-1 defeat to Lens. After weeks of medical evaluations and pain tests aimed at avoiding an operation, Rennes and Liverpool medical staff reached a joint decision this week that surgery is the only viable route to a full recovery. The procedure, scheduled for early March, effectively ends his season, meaning he has likely played his final match for Rennes.

Recovery and Pre-season Outlook

Liverpool’s medical team will oversee Jacquet’s rehabilitation program, which is expected to take between three and six months. While some specialists have warned that a full return could take until late summer, the club remains optimistic that he will be fit to participate in the 2026/27 pre-season. Jacquet is viewed as a high-potential talent—having recorded 19 interceptions and 91 clearances in 18 Ligue 1 appearances this season—and is expected to compete for a rotational role alongside Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté upon his arrival at Anfield.

Jacquet's surgery

L'Equipe reports that shoulder surgery could keep Jacquet out for the next six months. The defender requires the op - one that ends his season and time with Rennes prematurely.

A six-month absence would keep him out until September, meaning he'd miss pre-season with Liverpool and the start of the Premier League campaign. It's a long, long time.

And that's a key time, too. Jacquet needs to adapt to a new club in a new country with new teammates. It won't be easy but it's even more difficult if you have to do it during the season.

Hopefully, Jacquet only misses around three months here and can still enjoy pre-season. That's the best-case. The worst would be a bit of a disaster for Liverpool, who need their new centre-back ready.

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