The writing is on the wall for Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes to bring in a new left-back this summer after incumbents Andy Robertson and Kostas Tsimikas have both put in inconsistent campaigns.
Coincidentally, the club’s two primary targets – Fulham’s Antonee Robinson and Bournemouth’s Milos Kerkez – both went on the record today to speak of their ambition to compete for the sport’s top trophies.
That is something Liverpool can currently offer – and now it seems like the club must decide which of them it wants to pursue with both leaving the door somewhat ajar for a summer move to a club like Liverpool.
Robinson, 27, is in the midst of a banner season for mid-table Fulham. In addition to providing bursts of energy on the left flank akin to Robertson during his prime, his 10 assists only trail Mohamed Salah for the Premier League lead.
Speaking with ESPN, the American international admitted: “Eventually, I want to perform at the highest level that I can.”
“Whether that’s playing Champions League, playing European competitions with Fulham, however I get there, I want to make sure I get there,” he continued.
Robinson, born in Milton Keynes but an Everton academy graduate, understands the links in part come from his upbringing. “Transfer rumors and stuff like that, I try not to look at,” he said.
(Image: Getty Images)
“The Liverpool one, all my friends and family are from Liverpool, so it’s more them messaging me rather than me seeing newspaper stuff. And I say to them, ‘It’s just a story in the paper.'”
Kerkez, a 21-year-old Hungary international whom Hughes signed from Dutch outfit AZ Alkmaar in 2023, profiles as one of the most dynamic ball-carrying defenders in the league.
Now valued north of £40 million, he’s ready to compete on the continental stage. “As a kid, you dream to play at the highest level, win the trophies, be on the best teams,” he told The Athletic.
“These are the things that my agent is on. My dad is on,” he added. “It is not something that they occupy me with because the season is still going, so there’s no point to talk about anything [concrete],” he continued.
Kerkez, a good friend of fellow Hungary international Dominik Szobozlai, admits he too is also well aware of the rumors, “It’s not like I don’t see it [in social media comments],” he added.
“When people say they don’t see stuff if someone says something about you, I think it’s a lie. It’s only if it hits you or not. “If someone says something bad, I do my job, and if someone says something good, I just do my job. That’s it.”
