Liverpool is ‘closing in’ on Bournemouth left-back Milos Kerkez according to reports, as the club looks to get business done early.
The left-back has been repeatedly linked with a possible move to Anfield this summer as Arne Slot looks set to recalibrate his squad ahead of the 2025/26 campaign. Kerkez, a close friend of Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai, could be one of the first arrivals with the Reds lining him up as a long-term replacement to Andy Robertson.
As per the i Paper, Liverpool has made contact with Kerkez’s representatives but no bid has yet been lodged with Bournemouth. The Cherries will hold out for a fee of around £40million ($52m), while the report adds Real Madrid, Manchester United, Manchester City and Arsenal have all ‘expressed interest’ in the defender.
That competition has forced Liverpool to accelerate its plans, although Alphonso Davies, Nuno Mendes and Jorrel Hato are possible alternatives if Kerkez’s transfer falls through. The i Paper adds the 21-year-old prefers a move to Liverpool given his previous relationship with director of football Richard Hughes, who signed Kerkez for Bournemouth in 2023.
The former AZ Alkmaar man has started every single Premier League game this campaign for the Cherries and Slot admitted in February that the player is ‘having a great season’.
The news comes a day on from Robertson’s defiant response when asked about his position at Liverpool. The Scotland captain said reports of his drop in form this season have been exaggerated and said that, if Liverpool signs a new left-back, he is ready to fight for his place in the side.
(Image: Robin Jones – AFC Bournemouth/AFC Bournemouth via Getty Images)
“I think we’ve been linked with pretty much every left-back in the world. But listen, that comes with playing for one of the greatest clubs in the world,” Robertson said ahead of the Nations League play-off against Greece.
“I look back on the eight years I’ve had at Liverpool and think I’ve been the starting left-back at the club. I feel a lot of pride about that. Eventually, your time comes. But I don’t think it’s my time yet. Even if we do bring someone else in, so be it. I’ll always back myself.
“Sure, this season there have been a couple of moments when I haven’t covered myself in glory. But some of the things have been blown way out of proportion.”
