Ornstein: Milos Kerkez flying back to UK for Liverpool medical | OneFootball

Milos Kerkez to Liverpool: Left-Back on his way to Anfield for Medical

Arrival of a relentless runner

Milos Kerkez is flying into the United Kingdom today to complete a medical ahead of his move to Liverpool from Bournemouth. The 21-year-old is heading back from Belgrade, Serbia, with the move expected to be announced on Tuesday.

It is a signing that makes a kind of low-key sense. Kerkez might not be a household name outside of Premier League obsessives or Hungarian football diehards, but his performances in the past 12 months have not gone unnoticed. According to David Ornstein of The Athletic, Liverpool have agreed a deal worth around £40million with Bournemouth, securing one of the division’s most consistent young full-backs.

The timing of the move is interesting. Liverpool, recently crowned Premier League champions, are not buying for volume. This window is about select, strategic reinforcements that fit into the club’s high-energy, technical framework. In that context, Kerkez makes sense.

Reliability and output at Bournemouth

Kerkez only joined Bournemouth in July 2023 from AZ Alkmaar for around £15.5million ($20m), but in just two seasons on the south coast, he made 67 appearances. More impressively, he started all 38 of Bournemouth’s Premier League matches during the 2024-25 campaign, providing six goals and two assists, helping his side finish ninth.

Those are serious numbers for a full-back, particularly in a team that had limited possession across most fixtures. The output is valuable, but it is his relentlessness that will likely appeal to Liverpool most. He fits into that lineage of players who combine athletic dynamism with positional intelligence, qualities that make him a natural fit at Anfield.

Youth with international experience

Liverpool are not just buying form, they are investing in profile. At 21, Kerkez already has 23 caps for Hungary since making his debut in 2022. That blend of youth and international exposure speaks to a player mature beyond his years. For a club that still sees long-term project planning as part of its DNA, that’s gold dust.

He is set to sign a five-year deal with Liverpool, where he will join fellow new arrivals Jeremie Frimpong and Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen, and his compatriot Armin Pecsi from Puskas Akademia. This is not just a squad being built for now, but one clearly aimed at dominating for seasons to come.

A ripple effect in the market

Bournemouth have already moved to fill the gap. They signed Adrien Truffert from Rennes this summer, and had previously brought in Argentina under-23 international Julio Soler in January. They planned for this moment, knowing full well that Kerkez’s rise would make him a target for bigger clubs.

As one door opens at Liverpool, another closes. Meanwhile, the red half of Merseyside is preparing to say goodbye to one of its own. The Athletic also reported that Jarell Quansah is on the verge of joining Bayer Leverkusen, in a deal that could be worth more than £30million. His departure would not come without regret, but if Kerkez’s arrival marks the start of a younger, sharper Liverpool defensive unit, it may prove to be a necessary evolution.

What Kerkez offers Liverpool

There is always the question of balance at Liverpool. In recent years, left-back has been defined by the overlapping runs and tireless stamina of Andy Robertson. But with the Scot now nearing 31 and suffering niggling injuries, the succession plan needed to be more than just adequate cover. It required competition. Perhaps even a changing of the guard.

Kerkez might just be that. A full-back who plays on the front foot, who doesn’t shirk defensive responsibility, and who thrives in high-intensity games. He has the raw ingredients, and under the coaching setup at Liverpool, there is belief that he can refine into something elite.