According to the latest reports from Goal, Ryan Kent is set to turn down the chance to move to Leeds United on loan. The Whites had reportedly made their intentions known about the English winger to Liverpool, but Kent wants to settle down at a club where he can stay permanently.
Liverpool values him at around £12m, and we don’t see the Whites paying that kind of money to sign him permanently. Kent is contracted to stay at Liverpool until 2022, so they are in a strong position to negotiate for him. The English winger rose into the limelight after his successful loan spell with Rangers where he became an indispensable member of the squad, especially in the second half of the season.
What impressed most was Kent’s ability to turn up in the big games as he was arguably Rangers’ best player when they faced Celtic. That showed his mettle, and the Reds think that they can earn big money from his sale. Rangers are once again interested in bringing him on loan. They too face the same problem as Leeds as they are also unlikely to afford him to sign permanently.
Why might the race for Kent stretch on?
The ball is in Liverpool’s court, and it remains to be seen what would transpire in the next few weeks. Kent reportedly wants to fight for his place in the Liverpool senior team, but we feel that he would find it hard to come close to the first team. Maybe the upcoming preseason would be an important one for the 22-year-old winger.
If he manages to impress Jurgen Klopp, then the German manager might want to keep him with the first team. However, given Liverpool’s standards right now and the fact that they are challenging to win all the major titles, Kent would find it hard to establish himself. If Kent is looking to impress at pre-season, then the future of Kent could stretch on for quite a few weeks.
Leeds United are in desperate need of wingers, and it is expected that they would sign three of them in this window. Jack Harrison is expected to join the Whites again on loan from Manchester City, so that leaves them with two spots to fill. Kent would be a decent addition even though he has had below par spells in the Championship before.
What now for Bielsa?
The Englishman has come up leaps and bounds in the past year as he got regular game time under Gerrard at Ibrox. He always had the pace and trickery to his game to go past defenders, but he added the finishing touches and ability to pick out the right pass to his game. He would have been a decent addition at Elland Road, but now it seems like the player doesn’t want to move on loan. It’s probably time for Biesa to look at someone else now if the reports are accurate.
