Giovanni Leoni is currently recovering from an ACL injury he suffered on his Liverpool debut.
Jeremy Jacquet will not arrive Liverpool earlier than planned after his season-ending injury blow, reports suggest.
The Reds agreed to sign the centre-back for up to £60 million from Rennes on winter transfer deadline day. Liverpool beat Premier League rivals Chelsea to the signature of Jacquet, who is regarded as one of Europe’s most promising defenders. Part of the terms were that the France under-21s international would stay at Rennes for the remainder of the 2025-26 campaign.
However, Jacquet suffered a hammer blow in a 3-0 loss to RC Lens last month. He was forced off with a shoulder injury and he has subsequently required surgery and looks set to be sidelined for the next two months.
According to theDaily Mail, Jacquet will remain at the French club for his rehab rather than moving to Merseyside. Liverpool will continue to liaise with Rennes ahead of Jacquet joining Arne Slot’s side for 2026-27 pre-season.
It is suggested that Jacquet told Chelsea and other clubs that he only wanted to join the Reds rather than the Stamford Bridge side pulling out of the deal.
Jacquet’s arrival will mean that Liverpool have two young centre-halves in the first-team squad next term. The Reds signed Giovanni Leoni from Parma for £27 million last summer. However, the 19-year-old suffered a cruel blow on his debut for Slot’s side when rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament in a 2-1 Carabao Cup win over Southampton,
Leoni has been ruled out for the rest of the season, leaving Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez as Liverpool’s fit centre-back options.
No date has been set for Leoni’s return and the Daily Mail reports that there are ‘no indications he will be back running on grass within the next month’. But it is said that Leoni is Leoni has made a big impression on those behind the scenes because of his commitment to gym work, while he has an ‘ability to mix in different social circles is endearing him to many’.
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