Liverpool agree £40m deal to sign Kerkez from Bournemouth

Milos Kerkez from Bournemouth has been signed for a $40 million contract by Liverpool.

After two seasons with the Cherries, the Hungary international, who is 21 years old, is expected to return to the Premier League.

Adrien Truffert has already been replaced by him at Bournemouth.

The Reds are close to signing Bayer Leverkusen attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz for a club-record £116 million deal in the wake of Liverpool’s acquisition of Kerkez.

Dutch international Jeremie Frimpong has also been signed for £29.5 million from the German club.

Before moving to AC Milan in Italy, the Serbian-born Kerkez started his senior career at the Hungarian side Gyor.

Before making a switch to Dutch side AZ Alkmaar in January 2022, he didn’t make a full season for the Serie A outfit.

In 52 appearances, he helped AZ Alkmaar finish fourth in the Dutch top flight in 2022-23 with five goals and seven assists.

Before being defeated by eventual champions West Ham, the Eredivisie side also advanced to the semi-finals of the 2022-23 Europa Conference League.

When Richard Hughes, the Cherries’ sporting director, left Liverpool for the Cherries in the summer of 2023, Kerkez took over the position.

He scored two goals and six assists in all 38 league games last season as Bournemouth finished ninth overall with a club-record 56 Premier League points.

Dominik Szoboszlai and Kerkez will join forces at Liverpool, who has made 23 appearances for Hungary.

Kostas Tsimikas and Andy Robertson have been linked with Atletico Madrid, but his future is uncertain.

Nat Hayward, journalist for BBC Sport

Kerkez appears to be the ideal full-back for Liverpool in terms of the game.

The fundamentals of aggressive pressing, though in a more structured way, and trying to win the ball high up the pitch still apply, despite former manager Jurgen Klopp’s “heavy metal” style of fast-paced, high-pressing football having been adapted by his successor Arne Slot.

The 21-year-old recovered the ball 169 times last season, which is the fifth-most of any Premier League defenders and the most of any Liverpool defender. He also won the ball 11 times in the Cherries’ attacking third, which is the ninth-most defenders in the division and once more than any of his potential Reds team-mates.

The Hungary international recorded 34 chances from open play, which was his seventh most by a defender, and added five assists, which tied him for fourth overall in the Bournemouth team’s overall position.

Seen in sixth place among defenders, with 142 crosses, and eight big chances for the seventh.

No Liverpool defender completed more dribbles than Kerkez’s 22 as he passed into the final third 476 times, which is the 10th most of any Premier League defender.