Five Potential Replacements For Bournemouth’s Milos Kerkez

It looks as if Milos Kerkez will be leaving Bournemouth this summer as the Hungarian left back has interest from all over Europe, but primarily Premier League clubs such as Liverpool and Manchester United. Despite making it clear that he wasn’t going to join Liverpool in a YouTube live stream, Kerkez is very close to fellow Hungarian Dominik Szoboszlai, a Liverpool player. Earlier this week Kerkez posted a picture of them both on his Instagram story, confirming the belief among a lot of Bournemouth fans that Liverpool was never off the table.

Bournemouth have been quite good at replacing key players as of late, with Dominic Solanke’s departure having little impact on the team despite his goal scoring record the season before. Evanilson hasn’t matched the number of goals from the Englishman, however Bournemouth as a team are performing better without him. The left back situation might prove to be an easier position to fill, as the price for a defender is often lower than that of a striker, but who could Bournemouth buy to replace Kerkez?

Maxim de Cuyper - Club Brugge

24-year-old Belgian full back Maxim de Cuyper has been linked to AC Milan and PSG in recent months, however Bournemouth have prepared a bid for him in case Kerkez was to leave in the summer. De Cuyper has been contracted to club Brugge for his whole senior career so far, however the majority of his league games have been played at Westerlo where he spent two seasons on loan.

🚨 Bournemouth are targeting Club Brugge's Maxim de Cuyper should they need to sign a replacement for Milos Kerkez, who is wanted by Liverpool.

(Source: Football Insider) pic.twitter.com/cDrsHCyB3g

— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) March 20, 2025

This season De Cuyper has performed well in both the league and the Champions League, where he saw his side get knocked out by Aston Villa in the Round of 16. In this campaign the Belgian has exactly the same number of goals and assists in the league as Kerkez which shows that he has a very similar profile to him attacking wise. There have been some question marks about his defensive capabilities however the same was said about Kerkez after his first season at Bournemouth, but those worries have been put to bed by the Hungarian’s performances.

Leif Davis - Ipswich Town

Ipswich are all but relegated from the Premier League, two months before the end of the season, and their star players are all likely to leave. One of their best performers in the Championship last season, who has done a decent job in the Premier League this campaign is Leif Davis. The English full back registered 18 assists last campaign, and so if definitely too good for the second division, however Ipswich might fight hard to keep a hold of him for their promotion challenge next year.

Davis has already played for Bournemouth, on loan from Leeds back when the side were in the Championship. He played 15 times for them, but under Scott Parker, his attacking and creative flair was buried under excruciatingly boring football. I’d understand if Davis didn’t want to return to the south coast after his first spell at the Cherries, however the style of football has changed since then to something much more familiar to the Englishman.

Adrien Truffert - Rennes

Recently Bournemouth have liked buying players from French football, with Dango Ouattara, Romain Faivre and Junior Kroupi all having played in France before signing with the Cherries. Adrien Truffert has been a big name in French football for sometime, with some big clubs having circled around him a couple of years ago. Now there seems to be a lot less interest in him, despite his performances remaining at a constantly high level.

🥇| Liverpool are interested in Rennes left-back Adrien Truffert. [@lequipe] pic.twitter.com/oAm3tafCVc

— Anfield Edition (@AnfieldEdition) August 16, 2024

He made his debut in 2020, scoring and assisting from left back in a victory over Monaco, and has since played over 150 times for his boyhood club dispute being just 23 years old. He is versatile, able to play at both full back and in midfield, which is a trait that Andoni Iraola likes from his players. The second half of the season has seen Truffert captain Rennes on several occasions, which might indicate his desire to stay in France, however Bournemouth could still lure him away.

Maximilian Mittelstadt - Stuttgart

A slightly different option, Maximilian Mittelstadt is a more experienced player in defence, and at 28 years old would be one of Bournemouth’s more senior players. He played for Hertha Berlin for much of his early development until he joined Stuttgart in 2023 and has since earned himself a spot in the German national team with his performances. Having played Champions League football this season, the full back might look to leave Stuttgart as they are looking unlikely to qualify for Europe, so should Bournemouth pick up a few more wins towards the end of the season, they could be a likely destination for him.

Not only is Mittelstadt a different option in terms of age, but he is also a lot more defensively minded than the others on this list and Kerkez too. He has scored just 12 times in his whole career but he has provided 32 assists. Iraola might leave in the summer or at some point next season, and so buying a versatile player who is capable defensively might be a good option for the Cherries.

Julio Soler - Bournemouth

It might be too early in his career for Julio Soler to be starting for Bournemouth, but the Argentinian left back has shown promise in his career already. He joined the Cherries from Lanus in Argentina in January but has played just once for them so far, in an FA Cup game against West Brom. He went straight on international duty after that for the South America Under 20s Championships, so has barely had a chance to kick a ball on the south coast.

🚨🍒 Official, confirmed. Bournemouth sign Argentine LB Julio Soler from Lanus for fee over €10m. pic.twitter.com/H6vzqsrPk0

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 7, 2025

The fact that he is already at Bournemouth and having the chance to adapt to Iraola’s style of play gives him an advantage over others on the list, however he has just turned 20 and so is still a young raw talent. Buying someone a bit older, like Mittelstadt, would give Soler the chance to develop before replacing the more experienced player in a couple of years. It is obvious that both Bournemouth and Iraola like Soler, so it is just a matter of time before he earns his Premier League debut.