Liverpool's plans to rapidly tie up a deal for Milos Kerkez are reportedly in jeopardy as Bournemouth stand firm on their valuation of the left-back. The Reds have been working on a move for the Hungarian international since January, and he is still expected to make the switch to Anfield and compete with Andrew Robertson for the starting berth next season.
But the Cherries are not giving Liverpool an easy ride. They have already sold Dean Huijsen to Real Madrid this summer, so senior figures at the Vitality Stadium can afford to be tough negotiators as cash-rich clubs circle around their most valuable assets. Kerkez, who started every Premier League game last season, easily falls into that category.
And as a result, The i Paper claim that Bournemouth are unwilling to come down on their £45million price tag. Liverpool's hopes of arriving at an imminent agreement have had to be shelved, with sporting director Richard Hughes scrambling to fix a number of 'unresolved issues', the report adds.
The saga is expected to drag into next week at the earliest, and potentially beyond, with Liverpool asked to cough up serious cash for the 21-year-old.
All parties reportedly believe that a deal will still be done at some point during the summer. But Reds chief Hughes is not being given any special treatment by former employers Bournemouth, even with discussions 'ramping up significantly' over the past seven days.
Liverpool have already confirmed the signing of Jeremie Frimpong to compete with Conor Bradley for the right-back spot following the departure of Trent Alexander-Arnold. And Hughes is now spinning multiple plates at once.
Alongside efforts to lock in a move for Kerkez, Liverpool are also in the thick of a big-money Florian Wirtz pursuit. The Merseyside outfit have seen two bids rejected, with the latest tipping the scales at £109.6m, as Bayer Leverkusen hold out for an eye-watering £126m.
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