EXCLUSIVE: The truth about Milos Kerkez's Liverpool transfer talks after wild claims

Milos Kerkez has been heavily linked with a move to Liverpool, but some of the claims about the deal have been wide of the mark.

Anfield Watch were the first to exclusively reveal that the Reds held talks with Kerkez's intermediaries back in October.

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These talks were of a positive nature and Kerkez is a player well known to Liverpool. The Reds wanted to sign him in the summer of 2023 and held talks with his representatives back then.

At the time, Kerkez decided to move to Bournemouth instead, preferring regular first team minutes rather than playing the understudy to Andy Robertson.

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Fast forward 18 months and the man who brought him to Bournemouth is now at Liverpool in Richard Hughes. Meanwhile, Kerkez has now established himself as one of the best left-backs in the Premier League.

Liverpool's situation is now completely different. Whereas in 2023, they were looking for a back-up to Robertson, Hughes is now seeking a player to replace the Scotsman.

There is no denying that Kerkez is a top target for Liverpool. But he is not the only player on the club's radar, and neither are Liverpool his only option.

Some of the biggest clubs in the world are monitoring his situation. There's interest from Arsenal, Chelsea, Real Madrid and even Manchester City as well as a number of other clubs.

Suggestions elsewhere that a deal for Liverpool is at an advanced stage or that the Reds are closing in on a move are unfounded and not based in reality.

The truth is that Bournemouth will demand a £50m transfer fee for Kerkez.

Last summer that figure was at £40m when Manchester United wanted to sign the Hungarian international. However, it has inevitably risen following Kerkez's brilliant performances.

That's a sum Liverpool won't pay lightly and with so much uncertainty surrounding the future of some of the club's key stars, they won't commit to such a move so early with still over two months to go until the end of the season.

The same is true for Kerkez. Earlier last week, reports claimed that he was to hold a meeting with his close entourage during this month's international break.

This could not be further from the truth. Kerkez's representatives are not based in Hungary, nor does his family live in the country.

During the international break, he is firmly focused on one agenda and that is to make sure his country remain in the A division in the Nations League and win their play off fixtures against Turkey.

Even if he wanted to find time to think about his future, Hungary's schedule is packed with long travel back and forth to Istanbul.

He will spend just a few days in Hungary before he is scheduled to return to Bournemouth - which will be filled with preparations for Hungary's second leg against Turkey with little time for much else.

The Hungarian is relaxed about his future, and he has not made a decision.

He won't be making a decision in the near future either. For now he's fully focused on continuing a brilliant season at Bournemouth to make sure they qualify for a European spot in the Premier League.

In the summer, there will be a moment for him to decide what the future holds. But for now, all of that has been put to the side and any reports suggesting otherwise are false.

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Whether Liverpool will win the race for his signature also remains to be seen. The Reds are certainly at the top of the list of suitors but there is still a lot to figure out.

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