Liverpool have completed the signing of 21-year-old left-back Milos Kerkez from Bournemouth in a deal worth £40 million, taking the Reds’ summer transfer outlay past the £200 million mark.
Kerkez, who has penned a five-year contract at Anfield, becomes the latest addition under new head coach Arne Slot.
He joins a growing list of summer arrivals that already includes Jeremie Frimpong, brought in from Bayer Leverkusen for £29.5 million, and Frimpong’s former teammate Florian Wirtz, whose deal could rise to a British-record £116 million.
Also set to arrive is Georgian goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, with Liverpool finalizing a £29 million agreement with Valencia last August. The shot-stopper will officially become a Red on July 1.
Sharing his excitement with the club’s official website, Kerkez said, “I’m really happy. It’s a real honour for me, a privilege to come to play for one of the biggest clubs in the world, [the] biggest club in England. I’m just really, really happy and excited.
“After this, I’ll go home and in my hometown enjoy a few days, and then I can’t really wait to come back and put the training kit on and start to train and prepare for the season.
“I’m going to give everything, absolutely everything, to win trophies with the club and to hopefully score some goals at Anfield. I can’t wait to hear the roar. And see you soon.”
Kerkez enjoyed a standout campaign at Bournemouth last season, registering two goals and six assists across 38 Premier League appearances. His performances had long placed him on Liverpool’s radar.
Interestingly, Liverpool’s current sporting director Richard Hughes, who previously worked at Bournemouth before switching to Anfield last summer, was the one who brought Kerkez to the Premier League from AZ Alkmaar in 2023.
Bournemouth, already planning for life without Kerkez, secured the signing of Rennes left-back Adrien Truffert earlier this June in a deal worth £10.1 million, potentially rising to £14.3 million.