Milos Kerkez is believed to be closing on his move to Liverpool, and his omission from the Hungary squad for their next game could indicate a deal is imminent.
Kerkez will not be part of the Hungary squad for their friendly against Sweden on Friday, with his absence coming amid developments from Liverpool.
EDIT: It has since been confirmed that Kerkez has remained at Hungary’s training camp.
Hungary head coach Marco Rossi revealed the news in a press conference on Thursday, ruling out both Kerkez and striker Barnabas Varga.
Per M4 Sport, Rossi would not divulge any details over why the two players had been ruled out, with the outlet simply citing “various problems.”
The expectation is that Kerkez is in fact finalising his transfer from Bournemouth to Liverpool, after reports on Wednesday that sporting director Richard Hughes was stepping up talks.
“Bournemouth are adamant they will not negotiate on anything below £45 million for Kerkez,” wrote the Times‘ Paul Joyce, “leaving Hughes holding more discussions with his counterpart Simon Francis in the hope of reaching a compromise.”
It has been speculated that Kerkez could now be on his way for a medical before completing the formalities of a move which has long been anticipated.
A private jet was tracked flying from Budapest to Liverpool on Wednesday evening, which could now align with Rossi’s update on Kerkez no longer being with the squad.
After Hungary host Sweden on Friday they will then travel to Azerbaijan for their second friendly of the month, for which the 21-year-old could feasibly be back if his absence is linked to a transfer.
Liverpool are claimed to have already received assurances from the player himself over his desire to join, with the focus being on agreeing a deal with Bournemouth.
While it has been maintained that Bournemouth would not budge on their asking price of £45 million, it is possible that a compromise can be found with various add-ons.
If he does join Liverpool as expected, Kerkez is slated to vie with Andy Robertson for the first-choice role at left-back, with a view to replacing the Scot in the long term.
Any new addition would almost certainly spell the end of Kostas Tsimikas‘ time at the club, with Leeds, Valencia and Lille all credited with an interest in the Greek.
The Reds are also in ongoing talks with Bayer Leverkusen over a British record deal for Florian Wirtz, while Jeremie Frimpong‘s £29.5 million move from Leverkusen has already been confirmed.
