Bournemouth has supposedly picked out Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher as a top target ahead of the summer. The Cherries are on the lookout for shot-stoppers off the back of an impressive few months in the top flight.
According to Football Insider, Kelleher is someone that Andoni Iraola has identified with his south coast side chasing a European finish in the Premier League table after a strong campaign. A valuation of $52 million (£40 million) is suggested.
Iraola’s men have had Kepa Arrizabalaga on loan from Chelsea for the current season but will need to decide whether or not to buy the Spaniard permanently when the campaign concludes. Kelleher could be a good alternative as he seeks regular minutes.
“I’ve made it clear in the last few years that I want to go and be a number one and play week in, week out,” Kelleher said in September while he was on international duty. Chelsea and Spurs have also been linked in recent months.
“The club’s made that decision to get another goalkeeper,” he added. “From the outside looking in, it looks like they’ve made a decision to go in a different direction.”
Nottingham Forest was among the clubs interested in Kelleher’s services last summer but he ended up staying put. Arne Slot has given the Irishman most of the domestic cup games but Alisson Becker remains a firm number one.
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“Sometimes from the outside looking in, it looks like that’s 100 per cent my decision [to stay] but at times it’s not always in my hands,” Kelleher added. “It’s been reported that Liverpool have rejected a few bids as well. My ambition is clear that I think I’m good enough and I want to go out and prove it.”
Liverpool agreed a deal with Valencia last summer that will see Giorgi Mamardashvili sign for the Reds in 2025 for a fee of around $45 million (£35 million). Alisson, meanwhile, remains under contract until 2027. Despite interest from Saudi Arabia in the Brazilian, he has shown no signs of wanting to move on just yet.
Liverpool.com says: With Mamardashvili coming in, it feels like the right time for Kelleher to go elsewhere. Having made clear that he wants to be a number one, and with that ambition essentially being impossible to fulfill at Anfield, it would make sense for his career.
Liverpool would sanction a move knowing his contract is running down and a replacement has already been secured. It might also be in contact for Bournemouth defender Milos Kerkez, who has emerged as a top left-back in the making at the age of 21.
