Who is Milos Kerkez? One of Europe’s best Under-21 gems being monitored by Chelsea

Updated: 13 Feb 2024 09:44 GMT
6 min read

Milos Kerkez is being scouted by Chelsea ahead of next season, but any interest is very much in the preliminary stage.

Reporter Ben Jacobs revealed recently that fullback is liked by the Blues recruitment, who also have their eye on Alphonso Davies of Bayern Munich.

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But the Bournemouth defender would likely represent a cheaper alternative to the Canada international.

But who is Kerkez and why are Chelsea so keen on the youngster?

What position does Milos Kerkez play?

Kerkez is a left–back who can also play more advanced, on the left wing.

How good is Milos Kerkez?

Kerkez has emerged as one of the most promising young talents in football. He joined up at the Vitality Stadium from AZ Alkmaar in the last summer window for €17.9million, and he’s played 19 games for Bournemouth at the time of writing.

Born in Serbia, Kerkez joined the OFK Vrbas local academy before moving to Rapid Wien in the Austria Bundesliga. After impressing there, he moved to AC Milan after receiving a personal call from the legendary Paolo Maldini. He joined the Italian giants in 2021 but failed to make a senior appearance during his time there.

© IMAGO - Milos Kerkez spent time with AC Milan

In a bid to find game-time, he left Milan to AZ Alkmaar. After initially featuring in their youth setup, he earned a spot in the first team during the UEFA Europa Conference League play-off campaign, making four appearances. Throughout the 2022/23 season, the teenager established himself as a key member of the squad, playing in 52 matches across all competitions.

During the 2022-23 season, he clocked up an impressive 12 goal contributions as AZ secured a fourth-place finish and reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Europa Conference League.

At the time, he managed to earn a place in CIES Football Observatory's top ten players under the age of 20, a list that included the likes of Gavi and Jude Bellingham. In the summer, Kerkez received a nomination for the prestigious 2023 Golden Boy award.

So far this season for the Cherries, he has created 12 Shot-Creating Actions and made a single assist..

What clubs are interested in Milos Kerkez?

So far, the only substantial link has been to Chelsea, who are looking to enrich their squad with a younger crop of players. Given that the 20-year-old moved to the south coast just last summer, it’s a high chance that any club will be truly pushing for a move - it was reported that the Blues were just monitoring in any case.

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How old is Milos Kerkez?

Kerkez was born on November 7, 2003 - making him 20 years old at the time of writing.

When does Milos Kerkez’s contract expire?

There is no information about the expiration of Kerkez’s contract - but given he only penned a deal with the Cherries, it would likely to until 2026 at the earliest.