Liverpool continue to pursue a move for Bournemouth left-back Milos Kerkez, with a new update suggesting they are willing to spend big on him.
A busy summer transfer window is expected at Anfield at the end of the season, allowing Arne Slot to reshape his squad.
Left-back is an area that requires focus, in order to find a long-term replacement for 31-year-old Andy Robertson.
A host of names have been mentioned as possible targets, from Fulham‘s Antonee Robinson to Ajax teenager Jorrel Hato, but Kerkez looks like the favourite to come in, holding talks over his Bournemouth future.
The Cherries left-back has caught the eye this season, starting all 28 Premier League games and producing a sublime assist for Marcus Tavernier at Tottenham last weekend.
The definition of the beautiful game: this assist ? pic.twitter.com/syI0E5kqj2
— AFC Bournemouth ? (@afcbournemouth) March 9, 2025
Writing in a Q&A for The Athletic, David Ornstein claimed that Kerkez is still a “strong option” for Liverpool this summer.
The Reds have also thought “highly” of Nuno Mendes, who impressed for Paris Saint-Germain up against Mohamed Salah in the Champions League, and Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies.
Both have signed new deals at their respective clubs, however, ending Liverpool’s hopes of luring them to Anfield.
Ornstein adds that the money the Reds are willing to part with to sign Kerkez is “likely to be above” what they would “normally pay for a full-back.”
In truth, though, there isn’t much evidence over the past decade or so to suggest that Liverpool have ever spent too big on a full-back.
Robertson was famously signed for just £8 million from Hull back in 2017, while Kostas Tsimikas arrived for £11.75 million three years later.
Liverpool snapped up Alberto Moreno from Sevilla for £12 million in 2014, while right-back pair Nathaniel Clyne and Glen Johnson cost £12.5 million and £17.5 million from Southampton and Portsmouth respectively.
Kerkez would almost certainly become the Reds’ most expensive full-back if he joins from Bournemouth, but that’s not to say they will spend an extortionate amount.
If anything, it’s more a sign of Liverpool’s frugality with full-backs in the past.
Kerkez has the potential to sort the Reds’ left-back issue for many years, though, so the 21-year-old would be worth every penny, assuming he continues on his current trajectory.
