CHERRIES have completed the signing of left-back Milos Kerkez from AZ Alkmaar.

The highly-rated teenager had been linked with various clubs, and appeared to be edging towards a move to Serie A outfit Lazio.

However, Cherries have swooped to sign the Hungary international ahead of the Champions League-bound club.

He arrives for an undisclosed fee, reportedly £15.5million, signing a long-term contract.

Cherries had a relatively long-standing interest in Kerkez, also keeping tabs on him during the January transfer window.

Kerkez, 19, helps plug a big gap in Cherries’ squad, following the summer departures of Matias Vina and Jordan Zemura.

Lloyd Kelly ended last season playing left-back, but has not featured so far during pre-season and his future looks uncertain with just one year remaining on his contract.

Born in what is now known as Serbia, Kerkez spent much of his youth career with Rapid Wien in Austria.

His first taste of senior football came in Hungary with Gyor in the 2020-21 season, competing in the second tier aged just 16.

Kerkez joined AC Milan in February 2021, but could not force his way into the first team and left in January 2022, signing for Dutch side AZ.

After a spell with the club’s second string, the full-back excelled in his breakout Eredivisie season last time out.

In total in 2022-23, Kerkez played 52 club matches, helping AZ to a fourth-placed finish as well as reaching the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League.

Along the way he scored five goals, contributing seven assists.

Contributing to play for Hungary via his grandmother, Kerkez has eight senior caps, debuting in September 2022, against Germany.