EXCLUSIVE: The FULL lowdown on Milos Kerkez as Liverpool open talks

Liverpool have entered talks with Milos Kerkez over a potential transfer from Bournemouth, as Anfield Watch exclusively reported last week.

That report has now been confirmed by Hungarian state-owned media outlet M4 Sport, so a transfer is looking more and more likely each day.

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The Bournemouth left-back is seen as a long-term replacement for Andy Robertson, who at 30 years old is entering the twilight years of his career.

To get a better insight into Kerkez's background and why he's the perfect fit for Liverpool, we spoke to Anfield Watch's Hungarian football expert, Bence Bocsak. His answers give us an illuminating insight into why Kerkez is on Liverpool's wishlist:

AW: Who is exactly is Milos Kerkez, and why are Liverpool interested in him?

BB: Kerkez is probably one of the biggest talents Hungary has ever had in the 21st century (so during my lifetime). He was spotted by Paolo Maldini when he was 16 years old playing in Hungary’s second tier and signed for AC Milan.

At Milan he was one of their brightest prospects and even scored a brace in a pre-season friendly at 17 years old. At the time he was hungry for first team football having already played with seniors back in Hungary so he decided to move to AZ Alkmaar which was one of the best decisions he ever made.

Since then he has established himself as probably one of the best young left-backs in world football, he was even nominated for the Golden Boy award back in 2023.

The fact that Liverpool are interested in him doesn’t surprise me. Given the fact that Liverpool need a long-term left-back it makes sense to go for someone like Kerkez.

How does Kerkez compare to Andy Robertson?

I would say if we are looking at Robertson’s early years at Dundee United and Hull City there are many similarities between him and Robertson.

Like Robertson, Kerkez has an abundance of energy and speed which means he can pretty much bomb up and down that left flank as he pleases.

When I interviewed him recently, Kerkez also told me he wanted to work on his offensive output, such as his crossing – that’s probably something Robertson also needed to work on during the beginning of his career.

And Kerkez is doing that now. His two assists against Man City is proof in the pudding. Considering he is only 21 years old, the sky is the limit.

Why didn’t Liverpool sign Kerkez before?

It’s been widely reported now and I can confirm it’s true Liverpool had their eyes on Kerkez back in 2023. But at the time, Robertson was still at the peak of his powers and Kerkez was desperate to play first team football in the Premier League. Liverpool simply could not guarantee that for him which means moving to Bournemouth made the most sense for his development.

It was a smart choice. A lot of young players will struggle to say no to big clubs but Kerkez has been very bold in some of his career choices so far, leaving Milan to ‘step down’ a level so he can get more playing time at AZ Alkmaar. He understands as a young player the more you play, the more you grow and his brave choices have been vindicated so far.

He's still very young but it feels like he is already ready for that next step now and capable of playing for one of the biggest clubs in the Premier League.

Does Richard Hughes give Liverpool an advantage over other clubs interested in signing Kerkez?

My understanding is that it wasn’t just Hughes involved in the deal to bring Kerkez to Bournemouth. Kerkez was also really impressed by Andoni Iraola’s style of play which suited a player of his calibre.

But undoubtedly, the relationship with Hughes is already there and Kerkez will know he put his faith in the Liverpool sporting director once before and it worked out well, so definitely having that link could be a valuable asset for Liverpool in their pursuit.

How highly is Kerkez rated in Hungary, compared to Dominik Szoboszlai?

That’s a difficult question. Three years ago, when Szoboszlai turned 21 years old he was only playing his first season in the Bundesliga. Kerkez is already in his second season in the Premier League.

It’s hard to compare the two but personally I believe Kerkez is on par with Szoboszlai. Perhaps his ceiling is even higher, although I will say I believe Szoboszlai’s ceiling is also very high.

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