Romano: Liverpool keeping close watch on 21y/o livewire who scored in surprise 4-1 win on Saturday | OneFootball

Fabrizio Romano has claimed that Liverpool are keeping a close watch on a young defender who continues to perform at a ‘top level’ this season.

The winter transfer window closes two weeks from today, and so far there’s been no discernible sign of the Reds bringing anyone in to bolster Arne Slot’s squad.

That doesn’t mean the rumour mill isn’t churning, though, and Paul Joyce reported on Friday that Richard Hughes has been assessing prospective options at left-back, with Bournemouth’s Milos Kerkez ‘among those being considered’.

Romano: Liverpool ‘closely monitoring’ Milos Kerkez

Following the Cherries’ 4-1 win away to Newcastle on Saturday, in which the Hungarian rounded off the victory after a Justin Kluivert hat-trick as the Magpies’ nine-match winning streak ground to a shuddering halt, Romano took to X with a brief update on the 21-year-old.

The transfer reporter posted: “Not only Kluivert show… as Milos Kerkez scores for Bournemouth and he keeps performing at top level this season. Manchester United and Liverpool are both closely monitoring his progress.”

Kerkez’s star continues to ascend

Aside from his goal at St James’ Park, Kerkez enjoyed a strong performance overall, winning four of his six duels, completing all three dribble attempts and making four defensive contributions for Andoni Iraola’s side. (Sofascore).

He’s been a star turn for their Bournemouth in their excellent season so far, sitting just one point outside the top four, and has been hailed by Jamie Carragher as a ‘revelation‘.

The Sky Sports pundit has also called on Liverpool to sign a left-sided defender, citing that as a chink in the Reds’ armour, but Hughes has only two more weeks in which to act if he’s to address that (or indeed any) part of the squad mid-season.

At 21, Kerkez could represent a long-term successor to Andy Robertson at Anfield, and he’s also proven that he can perform to a high standard in the Premier League.

A lot of eyes will be trained on Bournemouth’s number 3 when they welcome Slot’s side to the Vitality Stadium two days before the transfer deadline – assuming, of course, that the Hungary international is still a Cherries player by then.