Liverpool Agree Kerkez Fee | OneFootball

For many Liverpool supporters, it has been difficult to watch rivals like Manchester City signing player after player, especially given how much money they have spent since the Premier League confirmed it was investigating them for 130 breaches of finance rules.

This summer, however, the Reds appear to be doing things differently. Having already confirmed the signing of Jeremie Frimpong from Bayer Leverkusen as Trent Alexander-Arnold’s replacement and reportedly agreed a fee with the same club for Florian Wirtz, it now seems that a deal has been agreed for Milos Kerkez.

Who is Kerkez?

Born in the Serbian town of Vrbas on the seventh of November 2003, Milos Kerkez joined his local team OFK Vrbas when he was just 11-years-old. In 2014, he moved to the youth system of Rapid Wien, making his way through the ranks and learning how to be a full-back at a top-class football club. After five years there, Kerkez moved to Hungarian side Hódmezővásárhely before making his way to Györ. He made 16 appearances for the Hungarian side in the league, deciding to become a Hungarian international during the process thanks to the help and support he received from the staff.

In the February of 2021, Kerekez was signed by AC Milan after Paolo Maldini, himself a talented full-back, called him in order to persuade him to join the Serie A giants. In spite of his obvious ability, he wasn’t given much opportunity and only played one senior game. He joined the Dutch team AZ Alkmaar at the start of 2022 and then in the July of the following year he was signed by Premier League club Bournemouth. Richard Hughes, Liverpool’s current Director of Football, was in the same role at the Cherries at the time and so knows all about the young defender’s ability.

Why Liverpool Wanted Him

Given the fact that both Andy Robertson and Kostas Tsimikas played numerous times throughout the Premier League winning season that Liverpool have just enjoyed, the obvious question that many supporters will find themselves asking is why it is that the Reds have decided that Kerkez is the man for them. The answer comes in the fact that Robertson was at the scene of the crime far too often, with the likes of the draw at home to Fulham coming from the Scot’s poor positioning leading to him lunging in and conceding a penalty before he ended up getting sent off by the match referee.

Although Robertson will go down in the history of Liverpool Football Club as one of the best left-backs ever to play in Red, there is no question that the miles in his legs are starting to tell. With Atlético Madrid reportedly interested in signing him and the player himself not reliable enough to be considered a backup, it makes complete sense for the Reds to want to upgrade the position. Similarly, Tsimikas has been a perfectly serviceable cover for Robertson, but isn’t good enough to be able to play the position as a first-choice starter for a club that will be going for all honours next season.

What Kerkez Will Bring

Anyone who has been paying any attention to social media over the past couple of weeks will be more than aware of the fact that Kerkez has made no secret of his desire to play for Liverpool. He has regularly used his various accounts on the likes of Instagram to drop less than subtle hints at the idea that he hopes to be lining up in Red for the 2025-2026 season. Given the manner in which Trent Alexander-Arnold departed Anfield, it will be nice for Liverpool supporters to be able to see a full-back who actually wants to play for the club wearing the shirt and putting his all in.

It is clear that Arne Slot wants to have two top-class players for every position, so whether Kerkez is the only player on the left side of the defence who comes in this summer will be interesting to see. The soon-to-be former Bournemouth player likes to stand up his man and not dive into tackles, bombing down the wing and putting crosses in that any of our forwards will delight in getting onto the end of. His positioning is strong, meaning that he is often in the right place at the right time, whilst his intelligence is also high enough to mean that fans are going to love watching him.