Milos Kerkez will not have everything his own way at Liverpool despite being close to joining the Reds from Bournemouth.

Liverpool have moved quickly to land Kerkez amid uncertainty over the futures of Andy Robertson and Kostas Tsimikas.

Kerkez is expected to sign a five-year contract and will be a long-term solution for Liverpool on the left side of defence.



He will need to pick a new shirt number, given that all of his most likely options are already taken.

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The No 3 he wore at Bournemouth is occupied by Wataru Endo, while the No 11 he wears for his country is taken by Mohamed Salah.

Kerkez also wore No 5 during his time at AZ Alkmaar, but that number is currently used by Ibrahima Konate.

There is little chance of Liverpool shuffling their squad numbers around to give Kerkez one of his preferred choices, meaning he will have to decide on a new one unless somebody leaves.

It remains to be seen how Kerkez will fare at Anfield, given that he will face stiff competition to nail down a starting spot.

Robertson has been the standout choice over the last few years and will be eager to avoid slipping down the pecking order.

While the arrival of Kerkez might signal a changing of the guard, Robertson is not worried about the possibility of losing his place in the team.

Speaking while on international duty earlier this month, he said: "We're not daft, it looks as if a deal could potentially be done, but until that is done, I've not even given that a second thought.

I've had eight fantastic years at Liverpool in terms of winning trophies, being a mainstay in the team, which I'm incredibly proud of.

"I'm not getting any younger, I can't change my age, but I still believe I've got a lot to give and that's what I focus on.