Liverpool have completed the signing of Bournemouth left back Milos Kerkez for £40million.
It takes their summer spending past £200m after already buying Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong from Bayer Leverkusen for £145.5m combined, plus goalkeepers Giorgi Mamardashvili and Armin Pecsi.
Much of that fee is inflated by the arrival of Florian Wirtz for £116m, but it is a statement summer window from the Premier League champions that they are out to keep their crown.
Kerkez, 21, was one of the standout left backs in Europe last season and Liverpool wanted him to upgrade the position with Andy Robertson now 31 and in talks over an exit.
Hungarian left-back Kerkez caught the eye with his performances for Bournemouth last season, and earlier this month his father, Sebastijan, revealed he turned down interest from other clubs.
He also pointed to the family’s strong trust in Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes, who originally brought the defender to the Premier League during his spell at the south coast club.
‘It’s only Liverpool for us and we’re not going anywhere else and we won’t talk to other clubs,’ said Sebastijan.
‘Everything is done between us (personal terms) we just need to sort out some details but it’s basically a done deal.’
On Hughes, he added: ‘Richard Hughes brought us to Bournemouth, if he said we go to India, then we go to India, everything is agreed, just some little things.’
Kerkez joined Bournemouth from AZ Alkmaar in July 2023 for a fee of around £15.5m, and went on to make 67 appearances for the south coast side over two seasons.
The dynamic full-back was ever-present during the 2024-25 Premier League campaign, starting all 38 matches and contributing six assists and two goals
Reds captain Robertson was expected to remain with the club and become the back-up to Kerkez, however, reports earlier this month revealed that LaLiga side Atletico Madrid are keen on acquiring the defender.
Atletico have yet to make a formal approach to Liverpool but have been informed that Robertson is interested in talking to them.
Asked about his future, Robertson – who has one year left on his contract – said: ‘I’m not getting any younger – I can’t change my age – but I still believe I’ve got a lot to give.
‘We’ve had good discussions, me and the club, but what the future holds, I’m not sure.’
Meanwhile, Mamardashvili will take his place as Alisson’s sidekick after leaving Valencia for £29m – as arranged last summer – while Caiomhin Kelleher has been shipped to Brentford for a healthy £18m.
A £35m transfer with Bayer Leverkusen has also been agreed for defender Jarell Quansah, though a buyback clause has been inserted as the Reds look to keep an eye on his development at the Bundesliga side.
It will become their third deal with the 2023-24 Bundesliga champions, having brought in both Wirtz and Frimpong from Leverkusen.
