Liverpool winger Ryan Kent is reportedly a £10 million summer target for English club Aston Villa amid interest from Rangers for another loan spell.
If the report by The Sun is to be believed, Aston Villa are the latest side to have shown interest in Ryan Kent. The 22-year-old winger spent the 2018-19 season on-loan at Scottish Premiership outfit Rangers, who are hoping to reach an agreement with Liverpool over another season-loan deal.
Kent has had to bide his time since breaking into the Liverpool first-team setup in the 2015-16 season. The 22-year-old has spent each of the last three seasons away from Anfield, having embarked on four different loan spells during this period. While his first such spell, at Barnsley, was a resounding success, moves to SC Freiburg and Bristol City did nothing to aid his cause.
But, the latest loan spell, away at Rangers can be termed as a success, with Kent becoming a regular in Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard’s side while also winning the Scottish PFA Young Player of the Year. And, the player now seems to be a hot property in the transfer market.
Gerrard is urging his former side to allow Ranger to sign him on another season-long loan deal this summer. But, the emergence of Aston Villa as genuine suitors may jeopardise their pursuit of the Liverpool winger.
Villa do seem to be in dire need of a solid addition in the wide-attacking areas, with the likes of Yannick Bolasie, Andre Green, Albert Adomah and Anwar El Ghazi all struggling to make sustained impact over the course of this season.
The fact that El Ghazi, with just 5 goals and 6 assists, is the most prolific of the quartet (note: Bolasie left the English club in January to return to parent club Everton) is indicative of just how big the problem is for Dean Smith. And, he seemingly wants to address this issue by swooping Kent away from Liverpool this summer.
A winger who prefers to be direct in the final third, Kent’s natural style of play would suit Villa quite well. And, the Championship outfit, who are set to contest for promotion to the Premier League on Monday, want to sign the Liverpool youngster irrespective of whether they return to the top flight or not.
Liverpool, on their part, have reportedly made their asking price known, with The Sun suggesting that this season’s Premier League runners-up want £10 million in exchange for Kent’s services. If the Reds are determined to cash in on the 22-year-old, Rangers might well be out of the running.
What also puts Villa in a potentially strong position is the fact that Kent yearns to play Premier League football next season, something they might be able to provide, should they beat Derby County on Monday. It will now be interesting to see what the future holds for Kent, with Liverpool likely to sell him this summer.
