Richard Keys has claimed Liverpool will land Bournemouth defender Milos Kerkez and Newcastle frontman Alexander Isak this summer. The Bein Sports presenter cited their signings as “certs” as he underlined the need for the Reds to bolster their ranks.
Liverpool are champions in waiting with the massive lead at the top of the Premier League making it a formality. Arne Slot will deliver the title in his first season having performed a stellar job at Anfield following his appointment as Jurgen Klopp’s successor.
Slot chose to work with the squad he inherited and made hardly any signings in the summer. That isn’t expected to be the case this time round with Liverpool tipped to pursue several players in the market as they look to build on their domestic success.
Keys believes they will go after Kerkez, who has excelled at the Vitality Stadium with the Cherries facing a tough task in retaining their top performers. He is set to cost in the region of £40million but landing Isak will prove far more expensive after his stellar season.
Newcastle have maintained their star man is not for sale and their impressive campaign is unlikely to see Isak push for the exit door. He would cost well in excess of £100m but Keys is confident Liverpool can complete the deal, furthering improving their frontline.
He wrote in his blog : “Arne Slot has been trying to convince us because Arsenal and Villa have done so well in the CL we’ve still got a strong PL. No we haven’t. It’s been a poor season domestically. The two things aren’t related. And I’d say this to Slot – re-signing (Virgil) van Dijk and (Mohamed) Salah is NOT like signing two new players. It’s the right thing to do, but if Liverpool are going to be competitive next season they’ll need proper new signings. Two certs are Isak and Kerkez, but that won’t be enough either.”
Liverpool have been able to retain Van Dijk and Salah but stand to lose Trent Alexander-Arnold, who is bound for Real Madrid. His deputy Conor Bradley is seen as his replacement but the Reds will want to strengthen in certain areas, with more goals on their shortlist.
Keys in recent weeks has poured water on Liverpool’s title victory, insisting that whilst they’ve been impressive this has not been a “vintage season” in the Premier League. The likes of Arsenal and Manchester City have both fallen away with consistency an issue.
He said: “There’s been no challenge. Not from anywhere has there been a challenge, all season long. Of course they deserve it, but it’s not been a vintage season. Vintage is when you get a proper title race, nip and tuck, when City and Liverpool were toe to toe.”
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