Ryan Kent is to move to Turkey, if claims from Turkish journalist Ertan Süzgün are accurate, whereby the reporter exclusively claims tonight that Fenerbahçe have secured a deal in principle with the winger and he will sign a precontract.
The shock twist is there is a very strong chance, if true, that Kent will face Rangers this summer in the Champions League qualification stages due to both sides entering the competition at that stage – Fenerbahçe would be round 2, Rangers, like this season, round 3.
Either way, if this claim is true, and in truth Süzgün is the only one who has the story, then Kent has decided his future lies on the Mediterranean with the sun and sand of Turkey.
It’s an odd choice, frankly, Turkey’s top flight isn’t the best around and falls someway short of being a top five league – if Kent has chosen this division, it’s financially-driven and the Super Lig giants have offered him a hefty wage he’s been unable to say no to.
Don’t even think it’s related to their participation in the Champions League, it didn’t make him sign a new deal at Ibrox when Rangers secured it last summer.
No, this would be about money, not football.
Claims are also being made that Kent consulted Rangers’ Turkish star Ridvan Yilmaz and ex-Super Lig star Kenny Miller on their views of the division, and those endorsements are said to have made up his mind.
It’s a change of pace for him, but clearly money talks, and the European … is ‘giants’ the right word, clearly got in there quick and made him feel wanted. Plus offered him a big wage.
Our understanding is he wanted at least £50,000 pw at Ibrox, pretty much knowing the club could not and would not pay that for one player, pricing himself out of the deal – not strictly because he wanted to bankrupt us, but because he didn’t want to stay and knew that demand would be a no.
But that kind of money is comfortable for Fenerbahçe who can afford those numbers.
Kent is also said to have become fed up with the Scottish Premiership and fancies a total change – something ‘better’.
But… of course, this report isn’t confirmed yet. We’ll see if an announcement is made soon.