Liverpool are in the market for a new left-back and Bournemouth may have opened the door to signing Milos Kerkes after completing the signing of Julio Soler.
With Andy Robertson struggling to be the consistent force he once was and Kostas Tsimikas failing to prove he can be his natural successor, the left-back position needs to be addressed.
Liverpool are understood to be interested in Bournemouth’s Kerkes, with Hungarian outlet M4 Sport previously reporting that “the parties are indeed in talks”.
Current sporting director Richard Hughes oversaw his signing during his time at the Cherries last summer and the 21-year-old fits the profile in terms of age and experience.
• read: Who is Kerkes? ‘Aggressive’ left-back linked with Liverpool
He has made over 130 senior appearances for club and country, but is also strongly linked with Manchester United. Manchester United will also be aware of the potential opportunity following Bournemouth’s latest signing.
On Tuesday, the Cherries announced they could sign 19-year-old left-back Soler for up to £11.5m.
The Reds claimed to have inquired about Soler last summer as they assessed the left-back market, but he was most likely viewed as a project signing.
According to times‘ Peter Rutzler says Liverpool remain “admirers” of Kerkez but Bournemouth “will not approve” a move for the first-team player in the January transfer window.
Welcome, Julio? pic.twitter.com/puTpknzZRm
— AFC Bournemouth ? (@afcbournemouth) January 7, 2025
“It is seen internally as a move to ensure the club has two competitive players in each position,” Soler said. But as we know, every athlete comes with a price.
We are constantly told that the club will be “opportunistic” in the market and that Kerkez will have no shortage of potential suitors. This certainly presents as an opportunity for Liverpool to test Bournemouth’s resolve.
Hughes knows the Cherries quite well and few would object to opening up his contacts to approach a player Arne Slot will know, as Kerkez played 57 games for Dutch side AZ Alkmaar.
What did the slot say?
On the day Bournemouth announced the move, Slott reiterated that while Liverpool are unlikely to make any moves this month, the opportunity remains open.
“It would be a little strange to say over the summer break that we were very happy with the team and then say something completely different now,” Slot said.
“But you always look at the market. This club has always seen the market. We did this with a goalkeeper (Giorgi Mamardashvili), who we don’t have at the moment.
“If there is an opportunity in the market this club always tries to take that opportunity but the team is in a good position.
“Unfortunately Joe Gomez is injured. This means we go from four centre-backs to three centre-backs. But he’ll be back in a few weeks.
“I am very happy with the team and looking at their performance over the last half-season I think they deserve that trust from the club and myself.”
