Leeds miss out on huge payday as Liverpool strike agreement to take spending to £215m

Premier League newcomers Leeds United could have signed Milos Kerkez before the defender opted for Bournemouth. And that near miss may well hurt all the more as he prepares for an imminent £40million transfer to Liverpool.

The Hungarian left-back was one of the Premier League's unexpected stars of the 2024/25 season. Kerkez featured in all 38 of Bournemouth's top-flight games and notched an impressive six assists along the way.

With the summer transfer window now open, it was only a matter of time before the big clubs started showing interest. And Kerkez now looks Anfield-bound, as he prepares to become their latest summer signing.

READ MORE: Liverpool transfer news: Medical booked as Arne Slot expected to sanction £40m exit

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Liverpool have broken the British transfer record, as add-ons could see their deal with Bayer Leverkusen for Florian Wirtz cost as much as £116m (with £100m of that being guaranteed payment).

The Reds have also signed Jeremie Frimpong from Leverkusen for £29.5m, and while a deal for goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili from Valencia for an initial £25m with £4m in add-ons was struck last summer, it counts as a 2025 transfer in terms of Liverpool's finances. That would collectively take their total outlay so far to a whopping £214.5m.

There's also suggestions that Liverpool are prepared to step up their interest in Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi. And the England star will command another hefty fee should he head for Merseyside this summer.

Bournemouth shelled out roughly £15.5m to AZ Alkmaar for Kerkez's services in 2023. However, Leeds could have been the ones to pocket nearly £25m in profit from the 21-year-old's sale had they acted more decisively two years ago.

Kerkez was just 19 and making waves in the Eredivisie when he first started to attracted attention in England. It was then reported by talkSPORT (via Leeds Live) that Leeds, Leicester City and Bournemouth were all vying for his signature in January 2023.

Max Wober had already been brought in to strengthen Jesse Marsch's defence that window. And with Junior Firpo struggling to find form, Kerkez was clearly identified as a talent who could be both a current and future asset.

However, Kerkez remained at Alkmaar beyond that January transfer window. And when the summer came around, with Leeds having been relegated, the defender inked a deal to join the Cherries instead.

Former Bournemouth chief executive Neill Blake had high praise for the player at the time: "An athletic and attacking full-back, Milos will be an excellent addition to our exciting squad," and described Milos as "Milos [is] a talented young player with a great deal of potential.

"He was being tracked by a number of clubs in Europe but was very keen to join us after hearing about our plans and ambitions for the future."

Now, it seems that the former AC Milan prospect is set for a big money move to Merseyside. And while one can't guarantee the player would have developed the same way in Yorkshire, Leeds will nonetheless rue such a missed opportunity.

Touted as the heir to Andy Robertson, the 31-year-old Scot could soon see Kerkez fill his boots. When The Athletic questioned him about his Liverpool links in March, Kerkez said: "It's not like I don't see it. When people say they don't see stuff if someone says something about you, I think it's a lie. It's only if it hits you or not.

"If someone says something bad, I do my job, and if someone says something good, I just do my job. That's it. As a kid, you dream to play at the highest level, win the trophies, be on the best teams. These are the things that my agent is on, my dad is on. In the summer, we will see what happens."

With Liverpool appearing to wrap up the signing of Kerkez, Kostas Tsimikas might be tempted to leave for pastures new. And Leeds manager Daniel Farke is reportedly interested in getting the Greek to Elland Road.

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