Liverpool are on the verge of tying up a transfer for left-back Milos Kerkez, to turn out to be their second summer time switch.
After the sport, Dutch supervisor Arne Slot refused to be drawn into hypothesis about Jeremie Frimpong’s imminent transfer to Anfield – and should have certainly tied up their second deal of the summer time, too.
Liverpool have closed settlement with Milos Kerkez to hitch the Reds
Slot has settlement with Kerkez (Picture credit score: Getty Photographs)
With Trent Alexander-Arnold on his option to Actual Madrid and Andrew Robertson having suffered from a drop-off in type this time period, Slot has sought to bolster his group in each full-back areas.
After dependable switch guru Paul Joyce of The Instances Bournemouth left-back Kerkez was a matter of debate on Sky Sports activities’ Monday Evening Soccer , with Sky pundit Gary Neville claiming he expects the deal to be tied up shortly.
Jeremie Frimpong is ready for Liverpool (Picture credit score: Oliver Kaelke/DeFodi Photographs by way of Getty Photographs)
In keeping with sources in a report from TEAMtalk Fabrizio Romano , who described the Hungarian as being “in superior talks” in a publish on X (previously Twitter) .
As way back as March, Romano mentioned in one other publish that with the full-back having switched brokers, Bournemouth have been ready for an exit, and that Liverpool have been within the queue for Kerkez’ signature – whereas Manchester United have been credited as with an curiosity within the participant final summer time , previous to their seize of Patrick Dorgu in January.
Kerkez is recognised by FourFourTwo in our listing of the very best left-backs on the planet and over the previous two seasons, has helped the seasiders to successive file factors tallies, having joined from AZ within the Netherlands in 2023 – signing below then-Cherries director Richard Hughes, who has since moved to Merseyside himself.
FourFourTwo understands that provides for Kostas Tsimikas will probably be thought of, with Andrew Robertson nonetheless needed by the Reds for his expertise, with switch professional Ben Jacobs telling FourFourTwo solely in January that it was Anfield coverage to not promote first-team stars to make method for his or her successors.
Andrew Roberton’s successor has been lined up (Picture credit score: Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC by way of Getty Photographs)
“Liverpool signal the participant for now and the long run – however they hold the participant they worth, and there is a transition season or interval,” Jacobs mentioned. “They [don’t want have] to signal a participant and facilitate an exit, however to maintain that participant, and provides themselves extra sooner or later with their succession planning.”
Kerkez is value €35m, in response to Transfermarkt Premier League motion returns subsequent Sunday for the ultimate day of the season.
After two massive gross sales and one other probably on the horizon… what now for Bournemouth?
Andoni Iraola is shedding two key defenders (Picture credit score: Getty Photographs)
With Bournemouth flying midseason, a publish on social media did the rounds claiming that they have been fated to turn out to be “the brand new Southampton 2014“: a group of world-beaters in its infancy, able to picked aside by predators within the switch market.
There is a quintessentially “Barclaysmen ” really feel to this Bournemouth aspect: a rag-tag group of bargains who others foolishly discarded – how did Juventus let Dean Huijsen slip by way of the online? Ditto Milan with Kerkez? – however with this being 2025, that makes the Cherries a promoting membership.
And with that comes fear. Uncertainty. A springtime hunch could have dimmed Dean Courtroom’s highlight, however the vultures are clearly nonetheless swooping for expertise – and Hughes, the mastermind behind latest switch successes, has gone. Have Bournemouth peaked already?
Richard Hughes was the brains behind Bournemouth’s expertise acquistion – so how do they cope with out him? (Picture credit score: Getty Photographs)
Within the case of Kerkez, it is comparatively easy: Julio Soler joined in January, groomed to exchange the outgoing Hungarian, whose exit has been on the playing cards with such ferocious improvement.
Huijsen is a unicorn and tougher to exchange. He wasn’t anticipated to play as a lot as he has this season, stepping in for Marcos Senesi by way of harm – and whereas Bournemouth most likely would have preferred to get one other season out of him, it is clear he is destined for the highest.
After which there are the likes of Antoine Semenyo, Justin Kluivert and Dango Ouattara, who’ve all loved unbelievable seasons – however none of them really feel like a positive sufficient guess and none of them have launch clauses.
Is Antoine Semenyo subsequent out of the door? (Picture credit score: Ben Hoskins/Getty Photographs)
How Bournemouth look to strengthen in the summertime with be intriguing as a result of not solely will they appear to repeat their similar switch feats, they’re going to need to squeeze extra from Alex Scott, Enes Unal, Luis Sinisterra and Julian Araujo: probably unbelievable pick-ups who’ve been unfortunate with harm up to now.
And anyway, the final time Iraola made a serious sale – Dominic Solanke – he reinvested an enormous chunk of that cash in a brand new file signing. It could be untimely to recommend the Cherries have peaked simply but, with round £90m coming in from two gross sales to plough again into the squad…
