Liverpool supporters suspect the proposed signing of Milos Kerkez could be imminent after the full-back mysteriously pulled out of Hungary’s squad.
Kerkez had been expected to feature for Hungary after being named in Marco Rossi’s party for the side’s upcoming friendly matches against Sweden and Azerbaijan.
But the 21-year-old Bournemouth star has been given permission to leave Hungary’s training camp in Telki, with head coach Marco Rossi unable – or simply refusing – to provide any further clarity surrounding the reason for his absence.
At his pre-match press conference this afternoon, Rossi confirmed that Ferencvaros forward Barnabas Varga would also play no part in either game.
‘Of course, a few problems can sometimes creep in. For various reasons, neither Milos Kerkez nor Barnabas Varga will be in tomorrow’s match,’ Rossi told the Hungarian media.
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Kerkez’s somewhat puzzling withdrawal further fuels mounting speculation that he is set to swap Bournemouth for Liverpool this summer.
On Wednesday, The Guardian reported that the Premier League champions were attempting to finalise a deal for Kerkez, with the Cherries believed to be holding out for a fee in the region of £45million.
Arne Slot has been keen to bring in added support and competition for Andy Robertson and identified Kerkez as his primary left-back target during talks with sporting director Richard Hughes.
Kerkez has done little to quell rumours of an impending switch to Merseyside and sent Liverpool fans into meltdown with a cryptic post on his social media pages just hours before pulling out of Hungary’s squad.
‘Our new LB,’ one Liverpool fan replied to Kerkez’s post.
‘@LFC consider this a warning that he’s about to announce himself,’ another supporter joked.
A third wrote: ‘I know this guy is walking around with full Liverpool kit under his clothes… ready for that announcement.’
Countless other fans responded by reaching out to Kerkez with a simple ‘Welcome to Liverpool’ message in the replies.
Kerkez would be the second new arrival at Anfield this summer after the Reds announced the arrival of Dutch right-back Jeremie Frimpong from Bayer Leverkusen last week.
It’s understood the club are also closing in on an agreement with Leverkusen for Frimpong’s former team-mate Florian Wirtz, having had an initial offer rejected for the attacking midfielder.
Speaking to MLSZ TV earlier this week, Kerkez insisted the incessant speculation over his future was only giving him extra motivation to continue performing at his best.
‘Of course, something always leaks into the news,’ he said.
‘I don’t know how. At the same time, I think it’s normal that if you play well and the team does well, then you get into the news and end up on the front page, and everyone talks about you.
‘I see this as fuel that drives me forward. All this doesn’t break me, but it doesn’t ‘boost’ my ego either, but it teaches me humility and motivates me.’
Kerkez could be set to join up with fellow countryman Dominik Szoboszlai at Liverpool – someone he has shared a close bond with since his early days with the national team.
‘We met when I first joined the national team and we spoke German because I didn’t dare to speak Hungarian yet. He switched to German and accepted me,’ he added.
‘From then on, we spoke every day and got to know each other better. We are still very close, we write to each other or call each other every other day, we talk about many things.
‘It feels good to have a friend who always answers the phone. When you call him, he answers and doesn’t put his mobile on silent.’
Kerkez continued: ‘I think good times are ahead for the national team. We’ve had good times and bad times, football is just like that.
‘I think the difference now is there is more hunger for success from the players, including me. Everyone has to do everything for the national team jersey.
‘This is an important thing that the coach tells us and we have to adhere to it.’
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