Hungarian international defender edging closer to joining Liverpool
Newly-crowned Premier League champions Liverpool are reportedly edging closer to signing Hungarian international left-back Milos Kerkez.
The 21-year-old, who previously played for FC Győr in Hungary before joining AC Milan, has become one of the best full-backs in the English top-flight.
After joining AZ Alkmaar from Milan in 2022, Kerkez quickly attracted attention from Bournemouth. They subsequently signed him for around £15.5 million in 2023.
The Cherries are now poised to hit the jackpot financially this summer, with Liverpool set to pay £40m to secure his services.
As players of the games on bingo sites online will testify, generating that level of profit from transfer dealings does not come easy.
Signing promising players in the hope they will develop into something special is as tricky as completing a line or house in bingo.
However, Bournemouth have once again proved they have Kelly’s eye for a bargain by transforming Kerkez into one of the most sought-after full-backs in Europe.
He has made massive strides since joining the south coast club, but undoubtedly still has plenty of room for improvement in the future.
Kerkez has will join Liverpool as a long-term replacement for Andy Robertson, who has shown signs of declining over the past couple of seasons.
His ability to get up and down the flank coupled with excellent creative skills make him the ideal fit for manager Arne Slot’s tactical system at Liverpool.
He has made more clearances and interceptions than Robertson in the league this season, highlighting that he is no slouch when it comes to his defensive duties.
Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola has played a key role in his development, working extensively with Kerkez to make him a more rounded player.
Kerkez recently acknowledged the part Iraola has played in helping him become a player who is coveted by some of the biggest clubs in Europe.
“I like to be aggressive but in a sporting way — in a football way, I like to compete a lot,” Kerkez told The Athletic.
“As a full-back, you have to defend and attack, but first of all is your defensive game. If you’re not a good defender, you’re not going to play or compete for trophies.
“Last season I had to work on my defensive awareness, to not switch off. I now stay focused for the whole game and I believe I’m doing both pretty well this season. If you want to be a full-back with Andoni Iraola, you have to be like this.
Iraola’s coaching acumen has helped Bournemouth enjoy a productive season in the Premier League and has had scouts from other clubs flocking to watch their games.
Centre-back Dean Huijsen is another player who has sparkled under the manager, and his efforts have earned him a big-money transfer to Real Madrid.
Having enjoyed excelled as a full-back during his playing career, Iraola understands what it takes to be successful in this position in the modern era.
“Milos has improved a lot from past season, and he has done a great job defensively,” Iraola said.
“He’s a player that because of his physical condition arrives so many times to the last third with the ball under control to put good crosses that the number of assists, of good balls he was having, was quite low past season, because he arrives a lot and he has this good offensive power.
“But this season I think he’s deciding much better. He’s adding quality to his deliveries. He’s calmer when he arrives. I think he spends a lot of time crossing and at the end of training we have to fight with him to bring him inside!”