Liverpool have been dealt a bitter injury blow.
Arne Slot's side are still firmly in the mix for a trophy despite looking almost certain to relinquish their Premier League crown this term, as Arsenal and Manchester City continue to battle it out at the top of the table.
But it is the Merseysiders who have a big setback to deal with, especially given the ongoing conversations surrounding their summer transfer business.
Liverpool defender will not play again this season
After a blip in the middle of the season, Liverpool did well to rescue their campaign but European football is far from a foregone conclusion with results such as their defeat to Wolves on Tuesday night.
Although still in the UEFA Champions League and FA Cup, the Reds recent woes on the road were compounded by the 2-1 loss at Molineux, losing ground on their positional rivals.
Ahead of the surprise defeat, it was revealed summer signing Jeremy Jacquet has been ruled out for the remainder of the season after it was decided he needs to undergo surgery on a serious shoulder injury.
Jacquet joined the club from Rennes in January but headed straight back on loan to Ligue 1, tasked with building momentum before returning to Merseyside ready for the start of the upcoming 2026/27 campaign.
It was intended that the young French defender would provide healthy competition next season, alongside Giovanni Leoni, who is also on the road to recovery after tearing his ACL on his Liverpool debut.
It leads Liverpool's decision-makers with plenty to ponder, especially given the continuing uncertainty around Ibrahima Konate's future at the club, as links with Real Madrid remain.
The Reds' hierarchy could decide to enter the transfer market for a stop-gap central defender ahead of 2026/27, particularly if Konate does leave on a free transfer and new arrivals Jacquet and Leoni are not up to speed. This would likely cost the club several millions that they would, in an ideal world, rather not spend.
Jacquet and Leoni returning from injury in the same summer may change FSG's plans in terms of Konate's departure, with it unknown whether they would risk two youngsters both returning at the same time to play Premier League football with relative experience.
In FourFourTwo's view, Konate has been a big part of the Reds' success in recent years and keeping him around for the pair to learn from could be a masterstroke from the board.
