Liverpool Seal £40m Agreement to Sign Kerkez from Bournemouth

In a major move to bolster their backline, Liverpool have reached an agreement to sign Milos Kerkez from Bournemouth in a deal worth £40 million. The 21-year-old Hungary international will be making the switch to the Premier League champions after a standout two-year spell with the Cherries.

With Bournemouth already bringing in Adrien Truffert from Rennes as a replacement, the road is now clear for Kerkez to complete his move to Anfield.

But that’s not the only headline coming out of Merseyside today. Liverpool are on the brink of completing a club-record £116 million transfer for Florian Wirtz, the electric attacking midfielder from Bayer Leverkusen. This follows the arrival of Jeremie Frimpong, also from the German club, in a £29.5 million move to strengthen the right side of the Reds’ defence.

Back to Kerkez: Born in Serbia, he began his professional journey at Hungarian club Gyor before making a high-profile switch to AC Milan. Though he didn’t make a first-team appearance in Italy, his next move to Dutch side AZ Alkmaar in January 2022 proved pivotal.

In the 2022-23 season, Kerkez helped AZ Alkmaar to a fourth-place finish in the Eredivisie, notching five goals and seven assists across 52 appearances. He was instrumental in their run to the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League, where they were ultimately knocked out by the eventual winners West Ham.

His move to Bournemouth in the summer of 2023 reunited him with current Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes, who previously held the same position at the south coast club. Kerkez was a revelation in his debut Premier League season, starting all 38 games as Bournemouth secured a record ninth-place finish with 56 points. He chipped in with two goals and six assists along the way.

Now set to join his Hungary teammate Dominik Szoboszlai at Liverpool, Kerkez’s arrival does raise questions about the future of existing left-backs Andy Robertson and Kostas Tsimikas. Sources suggest Liverpool are eager to hold on to Robertson, but recognize the 31-year-old Scot might be tempted by a move—Atletico Madrid are reportedly interested. As for Tsimikas, the club appears willing to let the Greek international move on in search of more minutes.

So, what exactly will Kerkez bring to Arne Slot’s Liverpool?

According to BBC Sport journalist Nat Hayward, Kerkez is “the perfect full-back for how Liverpool play football.” While Jurgen Klopp’s high-octane style has evolved under Slot into something more structured, the core philosophy of aggressive pressing remains.

The stats certainly support his fit. Last season, Kerkez recovered the ball 169 times—the fifth-highest among Premier League defenders and more than any Liverpool player. He also made 11 ball recoveries in the attacking third, again outperforming his potential new teammates.

Creatively, he was a force. He generated 34 chances from open play, placing him seventh among defenders, and finished with five assists, which was joint-fourth in that category. His 142 crosses were the sixth-most among defenders, and he created eight big chances, ranking him seventh.

When it comes to ball progression, Kerkez passed into the final third 476 times—good for 10th place among Premier League defenders. And in terms of dribbling, no Liverpool defender completed more dribbles than his 22.

With numbers like these, Milos Kerkez looks well-equipped to slot into Slot’s system, both offensively and defensively. A promising addition as Liverpool reshape their squad for another title run.

Stay tuned—we’ll keep bringing you the latest from Anfield.