Milos Kerkez deal off? Liverpool start talks for RIVAL target

Are Liverpool still pushing forward on a deal for Milos Kerkez? They've reportedly made an approach for a serious alternative.

Liverpool have been linked heavily with Milos Kerkez all season. It's abundantly clear that the Reds want a new left-back, after all, and Kerkez is one of the best young talents in the Premier League.

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Anfield Watch reported back in November that Liverpool were in initial talks over a move for the Hungarian left-back. Things have progressed since then - the Reds are confident that Kerkez would be a good signing.

Though, they're not the only ones who think that. David Ornstein tells NBC Sports that Manchester City, AC Milan and Napoli would all like to sign Kerkez this summer.

The interest and the hype are growing, in other words. That's understandable, given his season, but it also means the asking will continue to grow.

£45m is already a lot for a left-back, especially one who's still so young. Is it going to continue to rise? Will City play their incredibly large financial hand to push this deal out of Liverpool's reach?

It wouldn't be the first time, certainly. And maybe that's why Richard Hughes and co. are reportedly looking at an alternative.

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The Jorrel Hato plan

Teamtalk claims Liverpool have made their initial approach for Jorrel Hato. The teenager is a standout talent at Ajax, having recently become the youngest to play 100 times for the club.

Now, Hato has a lot of interest in him, too. Arsenal are there in the mix - but they're not Manchester City, so that's a boost for Liverpool.

Hato does appear to be the Kerkez alternative. He's consistently linked with the Reds, certainly, and fits a similar profile in that he's a massive young talent who could be the long-term answer at left-back.

He's a different type of player to Kerkez, however. Hato isn't as direct and defends better than the Bournemouth star - but it could be that Liverpool ultimately prefer that.

Ultimately, though, this could all just come down to cost. Liverpool need to have alternatives to Kerkez purely because of the competition for him. The price could rise dramatically or he might simply reject the Reds for someone else.

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Touching base for Hato is simply the smart move, then. We'll see where this goes but it's starting to look as though one of these two will be Liverpool's next left-back.

It's just unclear which one.