AFC Bournemouth head coach Andoni Iraola has admitted it’s possible that Liverpool could try to sign some of the Cherries’ star players after Richard Hughes’ move to Anfield.
The former Scotland international has served as first team technical director at the Vitality Stadium since 2016, but will join the Reds as their new sporting director from June 1.
During his time with Bournemouth, Hughes had negotiated with Liverpool on a number of incoming transfer deals as the Cherries signed Jordon Ibe, Brad Smith, Dominic Solanke, Nathaniel Clyne, Harry Wilson, and Nat Phillips.
But with the Reds having been linked with a number of Cherries players in the past, including the likes of Lloyd Kelly, Milos Kerkez and Alex Scott, Iraola hasn’t ruled out the possibility of any of his players joining Hughes at Anfield.
“I don’t know what they will do,” he told the Bournemouth Daily Echo. “I think as long as they meet the requirements the club sets and the offer is good for everyone, this is football.
“I don’t know what is going to happen in the market. It is too early to talk about this. The summer is still far away. We have a lot of things to play for.
“But whenever the market is open. There are always chances for these things to happen, yes.”
Liverpool have already lined up Bournemouth's chief scout, Mark Burchill, to join the club, while it’s been reported that Cherries scout Craig McKee is also set to join Hughes at Anfield.
Meanwhile, Bournemouth actually beat Liverpool to the signing of Kelly when signing him from Bristol City in a £13m deal in May 2019. He was again on the Reds’ radar two years later, only for them to look elsewhere, but the 25-year-old has again been linked with a move to Merseyside in recent months ahead of his contract at the Vitality Stadium expiring this summer.
