Milos Kerkez has one ‘major’ reason for preferring Liverpool over Man Utd as £50m decision awaits | OneFootball

Milos Kerkez is reportedly leaning towards joining Liverpool rather than either of Manchester’s two top-flight clubs if he were to leave Bournemouth this year.

The Hungarian is among several left-backs to have been linked with the Reds in recent weeks, with the likes of Patrick Dorgu, El Hadji Malick Diouf and Antonee Robinson all being mentioned in terms of prospective moves to Anfield.

That part of the squad has been a concern among many LFC fans, with Andy Robertson’s performances generally regressing from the world-class levels that he’d previously shown on Merseyside, and Kostas Tsimikas not quite able to establish himself as a regular starter.

However, there may be some good news for Liverpool in their pursuit of Kerkez.

Kerkez reportedly prefers Liverpool to Manchester duo

According to The i Paper, the Reds and the two Manchester clubs have all made contact with the 21-year-old’s representatives, and the player is believed to favour a move to Anfield.

The presence of Richard Hughes – the sporting director who oversaw the defender’s move to Bournemouth 18 months ago – is understood to play ‘a major part’ in his preference for Arne Slot’s side over their rivals further along the M62.

Liverpool may have to bide their time to sign Kerkez, who the Cherries have no plans to sell in January, although an offer in the region of £50m might eventually persuade the south coast club into doing business.

(Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

Kerkez signing could be exactly what Hughes and Liverpool need

After an underwhelming summer transfer window, a hitherto inactive January and the ongoing saga over the contract situations of Mo Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold, Hughes has come in for some voluble criticism from Reds fans on social media since taking over as sporting director last year.

However, if his presence at Anfield can entice Kerkez to snub United and City to sign for us instead, that’d count as a serious win for the 45-year-old.

As pointed out by The Athletic, a left-back upgrade is ‘high on Liverpool’s to-do list’ but seems likelier to materialise in the summer than this month, which’d leave Arne Slot counting on Tsimikas to maximise his opportunities and Robertson to rediscover something closer to his previous levels for the club.

The Hungarian’s underlying performance figures aren’t particularly eye-catching (FBref), but he’s been widely praised by pundits for his displays for Bournemouth this season, with Jamie Carragher hailing the 21-year-old’s aggression, which is reminiscent of the Scotland captain when he first came to Merseyside in 2017.

When the Reds visit the Vitality Stadium on 1 February, Kerkez might just view it as his opportunity to audition for a prospective transfer to Anfield for the summer – assuming, of course, that he hasn’t been plucked away from the south coast before that fixture.

If Hughes can beat the Manchester duo to the Hungary international’s signature, it’d provide a major fillip for the Liverpool sporting director and likely go some way to appeasing his online sceptics.