Borussia Dortmund forward Youssoufa Moukoko has been ruled out of Wednesday's Champions League clash against Chelsea with an ankle injury.
The 18-year-old has progressed through the youth ranks at Dortmund, working his way up to the first team where he has scored 11 goals and provided eight assists in 63 appearances.
Moukoko has featured regularly for Dortmund this season, registering six goals and six assists across 26 games in all competitions.
The youngster lost his place in the starting lineup to Sebastien Haller for recent games against Bayer Leverkusen and Freiburg.
Haller joined Dortmund from Ajax last summer, but he missed the first half of the season after being diagnosed with testicular cancer.
The Ivory Coast international has recovered following treatment, and there were emotional scenes at Signal Iduna Park when he scored his first goal for the club in a 5-1 victory against Freiburg earlier this month.
Haller, however, was left on the bench for Saturday's game against Werder Bremen, as Dortmund boss Edin Terzic kept one eye on Wednesday's Champions League fixture.
Moukoko started in his place, but the young forward was subsequently replaced by Haller in the 28th minute after picking up an injury.
Following further assessment, Dortmund have revealed that Moukoko will now be sidelined for at least six weeks after injuring his ankle ligaments.
Commenting on the injury, Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl said: "It is a bitter message for him and for us, especially now at this stage."
Moukoko was recently linked with a number of Premier League clubs, including Chelsea, having previously entered the final six months of his contract.
Last month, the German international decided against a move away and put pen to paper on a new deal, which is set to run until June 2026.
Despite suffering an injury setback, Dortmund head into Wednesday's contest in impressive form after winning all six of their competitive games in 2023.
The first leg will take place at Signal Iduna Park, before the two sides meet at Stamford Bridge for the return leg on March 7. body check tags ::
