MILOS KERKEZ MAKES MAJOR LIVERPOOL CLAIM IN FIRST WORDS AFTER £40M TRANSFER

Milos Kerkez speaks for the first time as a Liverpool player after completing his £40m move from Bournemouth

Milos Kerkez new signing for Liverpool FC at AXA Training Centre on June 26, 2025 in Kirkby, England. (Photo by Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

Milos Kerkez says he is privileged to play for "the biggest club in England" after his £40m switch to Liverpool from Bournemouth was confirmed on Thursday.

The 21-year-old defender joins on a five-year deal after the Reds struck a £40m agreement with the Cherries. The Hungary international had been a long-standing target for the Premier League champions, who made their move earlier this month after weeks of speculation around a summer transfer pursuit.

Sporting director Richard Hughes had been in negotiations with friend and Bournemouth counterpart Simon Francis and while the Cherries were initially looking for £45m, a £40m package was eventually agreed upon.

Kerkez, who joined Bournemouth two years ago from AZ Alkmaar in a deal worth around £15.5m, has told Liverpool's official website of his delight at completing a dream move to the Premier League champions.

"I'm really happy," Kerkez told Liverpoolfc.com. "It's a real honour for me, a privilege to come to play for one of the biggest clubs in the world, [the] biggest club in England. I'm just really, really happy and excited.

"After this, I'll go home and in my hometown enjoy a few days, and then I can't really wait to come back and put the training kit on and start to train and prepare for the season."

"I just want to thank everyone for really showing me big love, even before it will be announced now. And keep supporting the team like you support always, because you're the biggest fan base in the world."

Kerkez, who becomes the most expensive left-back in Anfield history, added: "I'm going to give everything - absolutely everything - to win trophies with the club and to hopefully score some goals at Anfield. I can't wait to hear the roar. And see you soon."

He becomes the third signing of a big-spending summer, joining £29m Jeremie Frimpong and £116m Florian Wirtz from Leverkusen, while Girogi Mamardashvili's £29m move from Valencia, that was agreed last year, will see the Georgia international join in time for pre-season alongside the new recruits.

Liverpool report for pre-season training on Monday July 7 before the first friendly of the summer schedule at Preston North End six days later.

ANGE POSTECOGLOU NIGHTMARE AS HORTOW OWN GOAL SEES TOTTENHAM FALL TO AZ ALKAMAAR IN EUROPA LEAGUE

Tottenham will go into the second leg of their Europa League round of 16 tie against AZ Alkmaar down 1-0 after a first half own goal by Lucas Bergvall proved costly for Spurs.

Ange Postecoglou's men had a chance in the late stages of added on time to grab an equaliser but Wilson Odobert's header went over the bar on Friday morning.

Tottenham was lucky to walk away with a one-goal deficit as AZ Alkmaar was the better team and applied pressure more often.

Tottenham only had one shot on target all night and will now look to pile on the pressure with their attacking style to overcome the 1-0 deficit next week in the second leg at home, which will be played at 7am AEDT next Friday.

The own goal from Bergvall occurred during the first corner of the match as he tried to clear it but instead shanked it high catching his gloveman off guard.

Lucas Bergvall's own goal. Getty

Tottenham had beaten the Dutch team 1-0 in the league phase at home in October.

Elsewhere, Manchester United settled for a 1-1 draw with Real Sociedad.

United led on Joshua Zirkzee's goal in the 58th minute but the hosts equalised 12 minutes later after Bruno Fernandez's hand ball. Mikel Oyarzabal sent Andre Onana the wrong way from the penalty spot.

The Europa League could be a way for United to finish the season with a trophy after crashing out of the FA Cup.

Tottenham's Djed Spence did his best to stop the floater. Getty

Rangers took a big step toward the quarter-finals by stunning José Mourinho's Fenerbahce 3-1 in Istanbul.

Mourinho won the Europa League with Man United in 2017.

Czech forward Václav Černý scored twice and Cyriel Dessers had a goal and an assist for Rangers.

Dessers gave them a dream start putting them ahead six minutes into the game.

Substitute Alexander Djiku equalised in the 30th off a corner kick after half an hour. Djiku came on early to replace injured Çağlar Söyüncü in the 16th.

Černý restored a one-goal advantage for Rangers late in the first half from a tight angle on a counter with Dessers setting him up and added another one nine minutes from time.

- Sacha Mirzabegian, with AP

MAN UNITED £100M MILOS KERKEZ TRANSFER DEMAND AFTER RÚBEN AMORIM SANCTIONS DEAL

Latest Manchester United transfer news as Milos Kerkez continues to attract attention with a fine display against Newcastle

Milos Kerkez remains a target for Manchester United (Image: Getty Images)

Manchester United transfer target Milos Kerkez continued his fine season with AFC Bournemouth on Saturday with a brilliant goal in their 4-1 win at Newcastle United.

Kerkez, 21, has been one of the best left-backs in the Premier League this term. United and Liverpool have both been tipped with pursuing a move for the Hungary international.

Ruben Amorim is reportedly pushing for a new left-back with Luke Shaw out injured and Tyrell Malacia understood to be allowed to leave the club on loan this window.

Kerkez, who cost Bournemouth around £15.5million, has come on leaps and bounds since his 2023 move from AZ Alkmaar. On Saturday, he showed United exactly what he can do with a brilliant performance against high-flying Newcastle.

A threat throughout the contest, Kerkez scored his second goal of the season in injury-time with a sweet left-footed effort. It wrapped up another excellent win for Andoni Iraola's side, who are now seventh in the Premier League and unbeaten in 11.

Bournemouth are understood to have no plans to sell Kerkez in January meaning a move in the summer is much more likely. But if United are going to bring the Hungarian to Old Trafford, he could cost a fair bit.

Kerkez's teammate and hat-trick hero at Newcastle, Justin Kluivert, was one of many Cherries' players who commented on Kerkez's social media post. The former Ajax and Roma man commented: "£100M POUNDSSSS son."

If United did pay close to Kluivert's valuation of Kerkez, they would pay a world-record fee for a defender. That tag is currently over Josko Gvardiol's head after his £77.6m move to Manchester City.

- Josh Holland

LIVERPOOL REAC AGREEMENT WITH FEYENOORD FOR SLOT COMPENSATION - SOURCES

 Liverpool have moved a step closer to appointing Arne Slot as manager at Anfield after reaching an agreement with Dutch club Feyenoord for the highly rated coach, sources confirmed to ESPN.

Slot, 45, confirmed on Thursday that he was keen to move to Liverpool after being identified as the Premier League team's preferred candidate to replace Jurgen Klopp, who is stepping down at the end of the season after 8½ years in charge.

And sources have said that the two clubs have now sealed a compensation deal for Slot, who has two years left to run on his contract with the Eredivisie side.

Feyenoord had been holding out for a £9 million ($11.25m) deal for Slot and, although a figure has yet to be confirmed publicly, a settlement has been reached, leaving Liverpool free to negotiate a contract with Slot.

Liverpool opened talks with Feyenoord on Wednesday for Slot, who signed a three-year contract last year after guiding the Rotterdam-based club to the Eredivisie title. The former AZ Alkmaar coach rejected offers from Leeds United and Tottenham Hotspur to commit his future to Feyenoord.

But speaking to ESPN Netherlands ahead of Thursday's Eredivisie game against Go Ahead Eagles, Slot said he wanted to take the opportunity to move to the Premier League with Liverpool.

"The only thing I can say about it is that the clubs are in negotiations," Slot said. "And then you sit in the waiting room and wait for what will come out.

"It seems clear to me that I would like to go to Liverpool. Now I'm waiting to see whether the clubs reach an agreement. I'm very confident in that."

Slot emerged as the leading contender for the Liverpool job after Xabi Alonso's decision to remain at Bayer Leverkusen and a cooling in the Premier League club's interest in Sporting CP coach Rúben Amorim.

Asked about his potential successor on Friday, Klopp was full of praise for Slot.

"I like the way his team play football," he told a news conference. "All the things I heard about him as a guy, a good guy, some people I know know him; I don't know him yet, but some people tell me that he's a really good guy, and I like that a lot.

"Good coach, good guy -- looking forward for the club if he is the solution."

- Mark Ogden, Senior Writer, ESPN FC