Rangers are ready to brace themselves for a big-money bid for Ryan Kent this summer, with Leeds the main contenders, according to sources.
The in-form winger has sparkled this year, particularly since the trip to Belgium and his second-half cameo, and of course the Elland Road side had a bid rejected last summer in the £8.5M range rising to £10M.
But with Rangers refusing to entertain lowball bids, Marcello Bielsa, if he remains in the midlands, is certain to come back for Kent with a higher bid, especially given the former Liverpool man’s excellent season and numbers delivered this campaign.
The 24-year old has posted 12 goals and 13 assists in 47 outings, a vast improvement on the season prior, and of course there are still another four matches this season in the league and at least one more in the cup so he could still transcend beyond those numbers too.
Meaning Leeds, and other interested parties are set to have to bid big to even get Rangers’ attention.
Costing £7.5M, Rangers would want well beyond double that, and certainly into the £20M range.
We cite the example of Brentford’s Saïd Benrahma who switched to West Ham from Griffin Park at a fee of around £20M – and he was only a championship winger who hadn’t won anything.
Rangers would certainly expect a big number if Kent was to leave.