Liverpool have received a significant fillip in their hopes of signing Bournemouth left-back Milos Kerkez, who has opened the door to a move away from the Cherries this summer.
While most of the full-back talk at Anfield has centred around Trent Alexander-Arnold and his impending move to Real Madrid, Arne Slot is also facing uncertainty on the left-hand side.
Andy Robertson remains the Reds' first choice on that flank over Kostas Tsimikas, but the Scotland international is out of contract in 2026 and has come under fire for poor performances this season.
Slot supposedly still wants to keep Robertson at the club for the 2025-26 season, but his long-term future remains unclear, and Liverpool are believed to be planning for life without the former Hull City man.
Kerkez has seemingly emerged as Liverpool's number one target to fill the Robertson void, and it was recently reported that the Premier League leaders were 'closing in' on the signing of the Hungary international.
Kerkez: 'My agent is on summer transfer'
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Now, Kerkez himself has talked up a possible switch to one of Europe's biggest clubs, revealing that his agent is working to secure him a transfer while he focuses on the rest of the season at the Vitality Stadium.
In an interview with The Athletic, Kerkez was asked whether he viewed a move to a team of Liverpool's calibre as the natural next step in his career, to which he replied: "Yeah.
"As a kid, you dream to play at the highest level, win the trophies, be on the best teams. These are the things that my agent is on. My dad is on. It is not something that they occupy me with because the season is still going, so there's no point to talk about anything.
"There's games left, the FA Cup is important for us — these are big things. And then, like I say, when someone comes (in for you) you never know what's going to happen or where you're going to end up. In the summer, we will see what happens."
Bournemouth still have Kerkez under contract for another three seasons, and the Cherries will no doubt demand a sizeable increase on the £14.9m they paid AZ Alkmaar to sign the 21-year-old in 2023.
What would Kerkez bring to Liverpool?
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In his prime, current Liverpool left-back Robertson was a relentless driving force up and down the left flank, delivering pinpoint cross after pinpoint cross and racking up countless assists.
The Reds would arguably receive a Hungarian version of prime Robertson with Kerkez, who has provided six assists from 29 Premier League games in the 2024-25 season, in addition to netting two of his own.
The 2003-born left-back has set up a goal in each of his last three Premier League appearances, including an astonishing delivery for Marcus Tavernier in Bournemouth's recent 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur.
Kerkez never passes up an opportunity to advance towards goal, averaging 2.68 progressive carries per 90 minutes in the Premier League over the past year, although Bournemouth's European hopes have suffered a few blows in recent weeks.
Andoni Iraola's side have failed to win any of their last four top-flight games and are now 10th in the Premier League table, and failure to qualify for Europe would weaken their position in talks with interested parties.
Ben Knapton
