Manchester City to battle Liverpool for 21-year-old star ahead of Club World Cup

Manchester City have reportedly joined the race to sign Bournemouth’s highly-rated left-back Milos Kerkez.

Premier League champions Liverpool had been considered frontrunners for the 21-year-old Hungarian, viewed as a potential long-term replacement for Andy Robertson, but City’s interest has added a new twist and a potential two-way battle.

Liverpool manager, Arne Slot is believed to be a strong admirer of Kerkez, and there have been several discussions with the player’s representatives recently.

While Kerkez is open to a move to Anfield, the Reds are yet to make an opening bid. This has left the door open for City, who are planning a squad overhaul this summer and are set to address several key areas of the squad.

Josko Gvardiol has been playing at left-back since arriving from Leipzig, but manager Pep Guardiola reportedly prefers to use the Croatian in central defence, making the need for a left-back more of a priority.

Nico O’Reilly has been filling in at left-back in recent weeks, but his best position is in central midfield.

Meanwhile, Liverpool are close to sealing a deal for Jeremie Frimpong from Bayer Leverkusen as Slot looks to revitalise the club's full-back positions.

The Reds are also keen on adding a new striker and have shown an interest in Sporting's Viktor Gyokeres as well as Ipswich's Liam Delap in recent weeks, with Slot aiming to reduce the dependency on star man Mohamed Salah.