Liverpool next two signings Milos Kerkez and Marc Guehi
Liverpool will make Milos Kerkez their FIFTH signing of the summer on Tuesday and the full details in that deal have emerged, while arrival number six is advancing with an agreement on personal terms close.
The Reds have already completed four signings this summer, with Giorgi Mamardashvili, Jeremie Frimpong, Armin Pecsi and Florian Wirtz joining. Owners FSG are finally splashing the cash after several consecutive windows of relative inaction and the spending won’t stop any time soon.
Bournemouth’s Kerkez will be next and upon arriving, will serve either as an upgrade on or successor to Andy Robertson.
The ageing Scot is among Liverpool’s greatest defenders in the Premier League era, though showed worrying signs of decline last term. Robertson is a wanted man at Atletico Madrid and the feeling is mutual.
Kerkez quickly agreed personal terms with Liverpool whose pursuit was led by Richard Hughes. He is the man who signed Kerkez at Bournemouth during his days as director on the south coast.
Hughes has struck gold a second time and according to The Athletic’s David Ornstein, Kerkez will complete his transfer to Liverpool on Tuesday.
The Hungarian left-back will fly to England from Serbia today (Monday) before undergoing a medical.
The deal is worth £40m and Kerkez will pen a five-year contract running until 2030. Per the report, Kerkez is set to be officially unveiled as a Liverpool player on Tuesday.
Marc Guehi next for Liverpool?
Kerkez will become signing No 5 within the next 24 hours and Liverpool fans might not have long to wait before that tally rises to six.
The Reds have lined up Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi as a significant upgrade on Jarell Quansah. The latter is on the cusp of completing a £35m switch to Bayer Leverkusen and the Reds have successfully inserted a buy-back clause into the agreement to retain control of the player.
Liverpool’s centre-back options post-Quansah will be down to just Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez.
Clearly, a fourth and impactful option is required and Guehi – who only has a year left on his deal at Selhurst Park – is Liverpool’s primary target.
Transfer insider Rudy Galetti recently revealed Liverpool are closing in on an agreement with the 24-year-old on personal terms.
Once sealed, attention will turn to lodging a bid and that’s where the difficulty may lay.
Palace are understood to be seeking at least £45m for a centre-back who ordinarily, would be valued in the £70m-£80m bracket.
His price tag is lower than usual owing to his dwindling contract. Nevertheless, £45m is still an eye-watering sum to pay for a player who is just 12 months away from free agency.
There have been suggestions Liverpool could hold off a year and wait to sign Guehi on a free if Palace stick to their guns on the valuation.
But if Quansah does depart, Liverpool cannot enter a campaign in which they’ll be competing on four fronts with just three senior centre-halves.
Kerkez a clear upgrade on declining Robertson
