Milos Kerkez to Liverpool: Why Arne Slot is right to sign Bournemouth left-back ahead of Manchester City's Rayan Ait-Nouri

Milos Kerkez is a strong stylistic fit for Arne Slot, more so than Manchester City left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri would have been, Reds expert David Lynch has insisted.

The champions are set to undergo a sizeable change in the backline, with Bournemouth left-back Kerkez expected to come into the XI as Andrew Robertson's successor.

Slot's side had previously been linked with a move for then Wolverhampton Wanderers' full-back Ait-Nouri, but the defender has since joined Manchester City.

Lynch claimed that Kerkez is a better option for Liverpool and how they want to play, when he told Sports Mole: "Liverpool have liked Ait-Nouri for a while, but what we've seen with [Man City and Liverpool] is that each one has ended up with one the player who's more of a fit for them.

"Liverpool need physicality and Kerkez brings that engine, up and down, and for City the better fit is Ait-Nouri, who is better on the ball, more of a technician and more of a Pep Guardiola type. Both have ended up with the two left-backs that they were looking at.

"Kerkez is a very good fit for what Liverpool need. He is improving in terms of his output - he surprised me [by registering] six assists and two goals this this season - so he's really coming on. He's got boundless energy and he played 38 Premier League games last season as well which is important."

Robertson at his peak provided relentless intensity, and given Kerkez is just 21 years old, signing him could help Liverpool threaten the left flank for years to come.

How advanced is Kerkez's deal?

Reports emerged last week that suggested a deal for Kerkez was advanced, and the Hungarian is widely expected to be wearing a Reds shirt next season.

Bournemouth are said to be demanding a fee in the region of £45m, which would be significantly more than the £8m Liverpool paid Hull for Robertson in the summer of 2017.

Speaking to Sports Mole, Lynch argued that while a deal could be agreed soon, it may not necessarily be announced before the completion of Florian Wirtz's transfer, saying: "No official offer had been lodged, so as far as I know nothing's changed right now, but we're not a million miles away.

"Liverpool are trying to get themselves in a position where they've got an outline idea of what Bournemouth want and then they're going to try and work their way towards that in a similar way with Wirtz's deal.

"On the player side of things, absolutely no problem with personal terms. He's very keen to come but it's just club side, and it wasn't quite as advanced that some places had, but that can move quickly. They'll want to get Wirtz over the line as soon as possible and then full focus on getting Kerkez done."

Wirtz is set to join the Merseysiders from Bayer Leverkusen for a fee that could rise to £116m, so it would not be surprising if the club focused on completing the attacker's transfer before signing Kerkez.

Why Liverpool are a step ahead of Arsenal with Kerkez

Liverpool have signed Jeremie Frimpong to compete with Conor Bradley on the right side of defence, and the pair are also similarly athletic in profile to Kerkez.

Their places in the XI differentiates the Reds from the likes of Arsenal, who have often preferred to start centre-backs in full-back zones in order to provide extra defensive solidity.

Lynch expressed his view that utilising traditional full-backs will have long-term benefits, telling Sports Mole: "What is pleasing for me is not having centre-halves at full-back. I was sick of that and I did not like that and I didn't want Liverpool to go down that route.

"I wonder if Arsenal will need to evolve. They need to get better [and full-back] is one of the areas they can be limited in given the fact that their full-backs are not as good on the ball as Liverpool's have been.

"There are real weaknesses as much as it can be helpful in terms of defending. It's one for Arsenal to think about in terms of 'how do we move forward' because City are moving away from that and Liverpool never went down that route, so is it going to end up being a weakness for Arsenal again?"

Liverpool ended the 2024-25 season having scored 86 goals in the Premier League, 17 more than second-placed Arsenal managed, and forward players like Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo benefitted from the offensive contribution of Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

> Click here to listen to the full discussion on Liverpool's pursuit of Kerkez

Written by
Lewis Nolan