Steven Gerrard recently indicated (Daily Record) that his summer transfer dealing in terms of incoming players is more or less done. However, there is still one name which every Rangers fan would like to see, and that is Ryan Kent. The English winger had a terrific last campaign which saw him win Rangers’ young player for the season.
However, his influential performances didn’t go unnoticed, and Leeds United are also said to be interested in him. Former Leeds United striker and BBC commentator Noel Whelan recently suggested that Leeds United’s manager Marcelo Bielsa met Jurgen Klopp over potential talks about Ryan Kent’s future.
Ex Leeds United striker provides an update on English club’s interest
Speaking to Football Insider Whelan said, ”Bielsa was probably at Bradford looking at Ryan Kent. There’s no reason for him to go there rather than Australia unless it was beneficial for him. Ryan Kent has been spoken about before. I think Bielsa has met with Jurgen Klopp after the game. If there is interest and conversations going on it, it is worth talking with his manager.”
Whelan also suggests that Bielsa was present to see Kent play against Bradford. However, as things stand, both Rangers and Leeds United could miss out on the winger as the ball is currently in Liverpool’s court. With Liverpool’s front three are still away, the Reds are likely to give them an extended break.
Therefore someone like Ryan Kent will probably come in handy for Jurgen Klopp in pre-season and maybe in the first half of the season as well.
Should Rangers be worried about Leeds United’s pursuit?
It’s tough to say where this deal might edge towards at the end. Bielsa is one of the best coaches around in English football at the moment, and the Whites are set to push for Premier League promotion. However, various reports (Daily Record) mention that Rangers are still the first in line to get Kent’s signature. We think that is probably because of Gerrard’s relationship with Klopp and Liverpool’s hierarchy.
Rangers have already recruited well in this transfer window, and they shouldn’t be losing sleep over Kent. There is no doubt that signing him again will be a game changer for the Bears. However, the club should think of it as a bonus signing. Rangers will hope that the likes of Jordan Jones, Sheyi Ojo, Jake Hastie and Jamie Murphy will be able to hit the ground running. As for the Leeds United interest, we think that Rangers still have an edge primarily because the player settled in well at Ibrox and he might want to continue from where he left last season.
