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4 hours ago
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Liverpool are on course to bring in more transfer targets before the 2025/26 season starts.
Arne Slot wrapped up the 2024/25 campaign in style - as the Reds secured their second Premier League title inside five years - in a superb first campaign for the Dutch coach.
Despite the positivity surrounding his current crop of players, Slot is planning changes at Anfield this summer - with full-back a key area of focus - after Trent Alexander-Arnold's move to Real Madrid.
Jeremie Frimpong has landed as part of Slot's strategy to replace his departed No.66 with the EPL champions activating his £30m [$40m] release clause at the Bayer Leverkusen.
However, the former Celtic defender will not be the only update in Slot's backline, with Bournemouth left-back Milos Kerkez close to a move to Merseyside.
Kerkez has openly hinted at being ready to leave the Vitality Stadium - after the Cherries missed out on a European place - with Manchester City also tracking the Hungary international.
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Milos Kerkez's Bournemouth contract, release clause, stats
Kerkez does not have a formal release clause in his Bournemouth contract which runs until 2028 but Andoni Iraola's side will demand £45m [$60m].
Liverpool have been more forceful in their approach than City but previous reports from The I hint at the battle being very close.
It's not the first time Liverpool and City have gone face-to-face for a defensive target with Josko Gvardiol's 2023 switch to the Etihad Stadium the most recent example.
Liverpool have been in talks with Kerkez's representatives since the start of 2025, and the latest update indicates a breakthrough, which will frustrate Pep Guardiola.
Reports from the Daily Mirror claim Kerkez has been released from Hungary's June international camp after missing the 2-0 friendly defeat to Sweden on June 6
The situation has since evolved, with an official Hungarian FA statement confirming he will not travel for the friendly in Azerbaijan on June 10 due to 'personal reasons'.
Kerkez is already back in the UK as he prepares to complete the finalities of a move to Liverpool which could see him arrive before the transfer window reopens on June 16.
The former AZ Alkmaar defender ended the 2024/25 campaign with two EPL goals in his second season in England and completed the campaign in second place on the EPL list for crosses into the opposition penalty area [27] behind USMNT star Antonee Robinson [29].
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