Liverpool remain confident of securing a deal for Bournemouth’s Milos Kerkez, with the Reds in advanced talks over a move for the Hungary left-back

Liverpool is optimistic about securing a deal for Milos Kerkez, with ongoing discussions with Bournemouth over the defender. The Reds have intensified their pursuit of the Hungarian left-back and are now in direct talks with the Cherries, although no formal offer has been made yet.

Bournemouth is currently on an end-of-season break on the east coast of the United States, but sporting director Simon Francis is maintaining contact with his predecessor Richard Hughes, who is leading the negotiations for Kerkez with his former club

Hughes and Francis have a strong rapport, and the discussions regarding Kerkez’s transfer are amicable as Liverpool continue to lay the groundwork for their Premier League title defence next season

The Cherries value their left-back at $61 million (£45 million), but Liverpool is eager to negotiate a lower price for a player who joined from AZ Alkmaar for approximately $23 million (£17 million) less than two years ago when he was 19.

The revised transfer window, primarily designed to assist teams participating in this month’s Club World Cup, opened on June 1 before closing on Monday for a week. However, the adjusted dates have had minimal effect on Liverpool’s negotiations, but the club remains keen to secure as many targets as early as possible to ensure they have a full pre-season under Arne Slot.

Bournemouth is not in a rush to sell after the departure of Dean Huijsen to Real Madrid but conversations at the Vitality Stadium suggest an agreement with Liverpool for coveted left-back Kerkez is likely. The south coast side is also on the verge of acquiring Adrien Truffert from Rennes.

Justin Kluivert, commenting while on Netherlands duty following an 8-0 victory over Malta, remarked about his colleague: “He’ll probably go there (to Liverpool). I hope so for him. He hasn’t really said goodbye yet, but I hope he’ll make it happen there.”

Kerkez himself implied a potential exit post-season, saying: “Thanks to the gaffer for trusting me to start all 38 games and special thanks to the one above for keeping me safe and healthy and of course nothing would be possible without my family, I don’t know what will happen in next week but cherries family thank you!”.

Liverpool’s interest in Kerkez has been longstanding, though formal negotiations appeared to have commenced recently. No official bid has been placed by the Reds yet; however, they do regard the Hungarian as their top choice to fortify the left-back slot.

Anfield left-back stalwart Andy Robertson, whose contract is winding down, has candidly addressed the possibility of Kerkez joining to bolster competition in defence.