In the absence of an official Liverpool statement, Gary Lineker, formerly of Match of the Day, jumped the gun by proclaiming Milos Kerkez's arrival at the Reds.
While the Hungarian defender is reportedly close to joining Anfield, a medical preceding his expected $54 million move from Bournemouth is still pending.
Last summer saw the sole addition of Federico Chiesa, with a deal also agreed for goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili before his arrival next month. However, following Liverpool's Premier League victory, Arne Slot has been splashing out on talent, with Bayer Leverkusen's Jeremie Frimpong joining the team for $39.6M and the $156M capture of his ex-teammate Florian Wirtz announced on Friday - a Premier League record if add-ons are achieved.
In the meantime, Kerkez's Bournemouth exit seems imminent as he prepares for a medical exam in the coming days, though Lineker presented the $54M deal for the young defender as all but finalized.
On a Sunday episode of The Rest is Football podcast, Lineker noted: "Liverpool have been impressive so far with the signings they have done. They have just completed Florian Wirtz for £116M, that's a lot of dough, from Bayer Leverkusen, but he's a wonderfully talented player."
Then, prematurely, he added: "Milos Kerkez from Bournemouth for around £40M. They join Jeremie Frimpong, who signed a couple of weeks ago, all three worth just under £200M ($269M)."
Milos Kerkez wearing a black Bournemouth training top and smiling before a match
Milos Kerkez looks set to complete his move to Liverpool soon (Image: Getty Images)
While it seems improbable that the deal for Kerkez will fall through, if it does, it wouldn't be the first time Liverpool's pursuit of a top target has collapsed at the last hurdle. Back in the summer of 2018, Liverpool fans were left disheartened when the $79M acquisition of Lyon midfielder Nabil Fekir fell through at the last minute.
The club had agreed on a fee for the French player and had even settled personal terms with him. However, an alleged issue with his knee, detected during the medical, resulted in the deal unravelling.
Fekir has previously commented on the unusual situation, insisting that he passed his medical and was puzzled as to why the transfer couldn't be finalized.
Liverpool supporters will undoubtedly be hoping that Lineker's confident prediction hasn't jinxed Kerkez's transfer.
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The defender netted two goals and provided six assists in 38 Premier League matches from left-back last season.
Kerkez's likely arrival has cast doubt on the future of Andy Robertson, who has been linked with a move to Atletico Madrid. It's also believed that the Reds are far from finished with their business in the summer transfer window.
They have also been rumored to be eyeing up substantial moves for Crystal Palace centre-back Marc Guehi and Newcastle United forward Alexander Isak.
According to reports from The Telegraph, Slot's side is eager to secure the services of the latter, who netted 23 Premier League goals and provided six assists in 34 appearances last season.
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can read the original story in the Liverpool ECHO by clicking here.