Liverpool's 'near £60m' summer target could miss the rest of the season after horror injury

Liverpool's reported summer midfield target Cheick Doucoure is set for a long lay-off after suffering an ACL injury against Luton Town.

Doucoure, 23, was stretchered off in the 54th minute at Kenilworth Road amid fears that he had suffered a serious injury.

Following the game, it was revealed that their initial fears had come true with the Mali international reportedly set to miss up to six months of action after sustaining a serious achilles injury.

In the summer, Liverpool were focusing on rebuilding their midfield and settled on the quartet of Wataru Endo, Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai. However, reports were strong regarding Doucoure, who fit the profile of a young, experienced but tough-tackling defensive midfielder who had somewhat of a similar make-up to the recently-departed Fabinho.

The Independent was one major publication to report Liverpool's interest, stating that a fee around £60m would have been enough to broker a deal. He was originally seen as an alternative target to Romeo Lavia, who eventually made the switch to Chelsea after a long-drawn-out transfer saga.

Personal terms were also reportedly 'not an issue' for Doucoure and his ability to operate as the deepest midfielder was certainly something that Liverpool were searching for.

He had started every game in the league bar two this season before his untimely injury and he also started 34 times last year in his impressive debut campaign in England. Prior to that he was at Lens in Ligue 1, where he totalled 131 appearances after coming through their academy.

Palace secured his signature for £21m in 2022 as he penned a five-year-deal and he has gone onto establish himself as one of the best players in his position in the league.

Last season he recorded the joint-10th highest tackles in the league (77) but the joint second-most interceptions with 56 as he was tied with Chelsea's Moises Caicedo (formally of Brighton) and Everton's Idrissa Gueye.

His combined figures for both of those metrics were up there with the very best in the league and his time at Lens playing as a slightly more advanced midfielder had given him an all-round profile that Jurgen Klopp would have certainly loved to have worked with.

Given the nature of the injury, he faces a long comeback and it will take time for him to rebuild his form and reputation as he may not feature again this season.

For Liverpool, the jury is still out on whether they will add yet another midfielder to their ranks. Endo has struggled to make a strong impact as of yet, plus, the club are highly invested in the future of Stefan Bajcetic which could mean we've seen the last of their midfield recruitment for some time.