Liverpool are expected to complete the signing of Bournemouth left-back Milos Kerkez next week, with the two clubs close to agreeing a deal worth £40 million.
Kerkez has made it more than clear that he intends to join Liverpool this summer, and in an interview in Serbia this week his father described it as “basically a done deal.”
“We are not going anywhere else and we will not talk to other clubs,” Sebastijan Kerkez said, adding that “personal terms have been agreed.”
The emphasis is on the club to strike an agreement in terms of a transfer fee and the structure of payments, and all signs are that a resolution is near.
Writing on X on Tuesday, transfer journalist Ben Jacobs and talkSPORT’s Alex Crook – an increasingly reliable source for Liverpool and in particular Bournemouth – claimed that the Reds are “set to finalise a deal next week.”
While Kerkez was widely reported to be valued at £45 million the expected fee is instead £40 million, with sporting director Richard Hughes driving down the price.
In an likelihood that will be inclusive of add-ons, with Liverpool minded to negotiate a lower up-front fee with the remainder of the payments stipulated by appearances and performance-related bonuses.
The Bournemouth Echo‘s Alexander Smith corroborated those reports on Wednesday as he explained that “Kerkez’s move is likely to be completed next week with the deal in the final stages of negotiations.”
It stands to reason that the transfer will not go through this week, with the focus on finalising Florian Wirtz‘s club-record move from Bayer Leverkusen.
Wirtz is set to arrive on Merseyside later on Thursday to undergo a medical that, all being well, will be completed on Friday.
Liverpool could confirm that signing on Friday evening though it remains to be seen if that is possible, as a medical is a lengthy process and the 22-year-old will also undergo in-house media duties before the announcement is packaged by the club.
• READ: Why Milos Kerkez is Liverpool’s ideal left-back – Andy Robertson MkII
There will be no concerns over a U-turn from Kerkez, who will become the Reds’ third signing of the summer in a combined spend of £185.5 million.
Jeremie Frimpong‘s move from Leverkusen, worth £29.5 million after Liverpool triggered a release clause in his contract, was completed on May 30.
Following deals for Frimpong, Wirtz and Kerkez, the club are then expected to turn their focus on signing a new striker and a centre-back, though that may come after sales for the likes of Darwin Nunez and Federico Chiesa.
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