Why Liverpool are 'panicking' about Jeremy Jacquet injury as recovery timeline revealed for £60m signing

Liverpool staff are allegedly 'panicking' about the scale of injury suffered by new £60m signing Jeremy Jacquet following the defender's recent operation.

The Reds beat Chelsea to the signing of the Rennes starlet on deadline day in the winter window, agreeing a fee of £55m plus £5m in add-ons just hours before the market slammed shut.

However, just one week after agreeing to join Liverpool in the summer, Jacquet sustained a serious shoulder injury while playing for Rennes in a Ligue 1 match against Lens.

Earlier this month, it was reported that the 20-year-old would go under the knife to correct the issue, and there would be at risk of him missing the remainder of the 2025-26 campaign.

Rennes confirmed last Thursday that the operation had been a success, and according to Sport - via the Liverpool Echo - Jacquet is likely to spend around eight to 12 weeks on the sidelines.

Liverpool 'panic' over Jeremy Jacquet injury and operation

The 2005-born centre-back has therefore already played his final game for Rennes, and his fleeting hopes of representing France at the 2026 World Cup have also been extinguished.

If Jacquet remains out for a full 12 weeks from the date of his operation, the defender would not return until mid-July, although there is seemingly no risk of him missing the start of the 2026-27 Premier League season.

However, the report claims that Liverpool are 'panicking' about the severity of Jacquet's problem, as the Reds were hopeful of pairing Jacquet with Virgil van Dijk straight away in pre-season.

Now, Jacquet is likely to miss at least some of the Reds' summer exertions due to his lengthy recovery process, and he will also be lacking match fitness going into the new competitive campaign.

Liverpool have already confirmed that they will head to the United States for a triple pre-season header with Sunderland (July 25), Wrexham (July 29) and Leeds United (August 2).

Do Liverpool need to sign another centre-back this summer?

Before Jacquet's devastating injury blow, the expectation was that the Frenchman would continue his development with Rennes for the next few months before filling Ibrahima Konate's Anfield boots.

Liverpool have not given up hope of tying Konate down to a new deal, but as things stand, the former RB Leipzig man will be leaving as a free agent in a little over three months' time.

Furthermore, Joe Gomez's long-term future is not set in stone, and Jacquet's fellow youngster Giovanni Leoni is still working his way back from an ACL injury and will take even longer to get back to his best.

With Van Dijk also turning 35 later this year, Liverpool's defence is undoubtedly a problem area, and another new centre-back should be of paramount importance for Richard Hughes this summer.

A return for Bayer Leverkusen's Jarell Quansah has been strongly mooted, and Liverpool's stance on triggering his £52m buyback clause has reportedly been revealed.