Liverpool look set to bolster their squad for their Premier League title defence further after it was confirmed the Reds have agreed on a deal worth around $54 million (£40m) for Bournemouth's Milos Kerkez.
The Hungarian international had been heavily linked with a move to Anfield this summer, with Liverpool viewing Kerkez as their long-term replacement for Andy Robertson, who has been himself linked with a move to Atletico Madrid.
The Athletic report Liverpool has reached an agreement with Bournemouth over Kerkez in a deal worth around $54m (£40m), with the 21-year-old set to ink a five-year deal on Merseyside in the coming days.
Having joined Bournemouth back in July 2023 from AZ Alkmaar, Kerkez has impressed on the south coast under the guidance of Andoni Iraola, who has already brought in a replacement for the Hungarian in the form of Adrian Truffert from Rennes.
Kerkez started all 38 Premier League games for Bournemouth last season, scoring six goals and registering two assists.
"As a kid, you dream to play at the highest level, win the trophies, be on the best teams," Kerkez told The Athletic in March.
The move by Liverpool to land Kerkez is another transfer the Reds have opted to wrap up early this summer. They have already signed Jeremie Frimpong as Trent Alexander-Arnold's replacement, and look set to sign Bayer Leverkusen's Florian Wirtz, who is edging closer to becoming a Liverpool player.
The deal for Wirtz, who flew into the UK on Thursday ahead of finalizing his transfer that could reach a fee of $157 million (£116 million), will likely be confirmed officially in the coming days.
"I think he’s the best player (Germany has) got," former Liverpool midfielder Didi Hamann said on the Aldo Meets podcast this week.
"Obviously he won’t be cheap, but I think he’s a player who makes other players better.
"[Bayern Munich's Jamal] Musiala likes to dribble, he likes to play on his own. But Wirtz is somebody, because if you look at the team now, Frimpong, I think he’s valued at 40 million, he’s coming for, he came to Leverkusen for probably half the money.
"And part of the reason why all the team is now worth probably a double of what they were worth before is Wirtz, because he brings them into play.
"He’s got a great eye for his teammates, he’s got a brilliant touch, he can finish himself.
"And he always got an eye for the pass. Obviously one thing is seeing the pass, the other thing is executing. But he does both.
"For me, he’s probably the best player in Europe in the position at the moment. And he played in a team that finished, well, they were 16th or 17th when Alonso took over. So they end up winning the league the season after, this year they finished second."
Hamann added: "Part of the reason, or the biggest reason, is Florian Wirtz. And if he comes to a team, which is even better than Leverkusen, I think it could be a perfect match.
"I don’t think it will take too long, if he does come here, which I think he will, before the punters love him here. And the thing, why I think he will be a success, is that he can look after himself. He’s like a street kid. So he won’t shirk a challenge.
"He will be looked after by his teammates, I’m pretty sure, because he will be one of the main players next season. But if he needs to, he can look after himself. And he won’t be worried, he won’t be afraid of any physical presence shown against him."