Bournemouth have signed defender, Milos Kerkez from AZ Alkmaar for an undisclosed transfer fee.
In recent days, Bournemouth and Lazio both negotiated with AZ Alkmaar over Kerkez with Andoni Iraola’s Cherries ultimately securing the 19 year-old’s signature for a reported £15.5m in total, after both teams had initially agreed personal terms with Kerkez himself prior to discussions with the Dutch club.
Kerkez has signed a five-year contract until June 2028 with the Cherries.
Bournemouth’s Chief Executive, Neill Blake said that the Cherries “are delighted” to secure Kerkez who he believes is “a talented young player with a great deal of potential.”
Blake also acknowledged the competition that they faced to secure the left-back as he added: “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.
“An athletic and attacking full-back, Milos will be an excellent addition to our exciting squad and we are looking forward to working with him.”
Despite Kerkez moving to the Premier League for the first time in his career, the 19 year-old will be familiar to English football fans after he featured for AZ Alkmaar in the second leg of their semi-final loss to eventual champions, West Ham in last season’s UEFA Europa Conference League.
Kerkez leaves AZ Alkmaar having scored five goals in 57 appearances in the last two seasons, having previously played for Jong AZ after he joined from AC Milan in January 2022 due to a lack of opportunities following his switch from Hungary’s Gyor a year earlier where he had made 18 appearances after coming through their Academy.
The 19 year-old left-back also has made eight senior appearances for Hungary since he made his debut in a 1-0 away win against Germany in September 2022, as Hungary finished second in their UEFA Nations League A group which saw England suffer relegation.
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