Leeds United are reportedly weighing up whether to revive their interest in Rangers winger Ryan Kent. The former Liverpool youth product has long-term admirers at Elland Road and the Whites could be in need of an attacking option with Dan James attracting interest from elsewhere.
Leeds have tried to snap up Kent on two prior occasions but the 25-year-old opted to stay at Ibrox in 2020 and they fell short again last summer. Transfer chief Victor Orta may fancy his chances this time around, however, after a subpar campaign that saw Kent notch just twice in the SPL.
Despite the dip in output, The Daily Mail claim that Leeds are considering whether to ramp up their interest in the speedy winger. Kent only has one year remaining on his contract so would presumably be available on the cheap, which would come as a bonus for the Whites after a frivolous summer spending spree.
The opportunity to sign a winger could come around at the perfect time for manager Jesse Marsch, who is at risk of losing James due to interest from Everton and Tottenham.
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Spurs fans are still waiting to witness the best of Gil, 21, who signed as part of a player-plus-cash deal that saw Erik Lamela head to Sevilla last summer. The Spaniard hardly pulled up trees during a separate loan spell with Valencia during the second-half of last campaign, but they were still impressed enough with his technical ability to try and bring him back for another term.
Leeds have spent almost £100m this summer with Marsch and Orta investing the proceeds from Raphinha and Kalvin Phillips’ exits into multiple areas of the squad. Recruiting another striker remains a possibility, but Whites hero Danny Mills claims that his former club may already have a solution hiding in plain sight.
“There was always flashes that [Rodrigo] was a half-decent player,” he told Express Sport. “Whether [Marcelo] Bielsa’s style didn’t particularly suit him – that can sometimes be the case. You get a new manager in with a new lease of life, that can sometimes be the case and bring more confidence. We all know that being a striker is based on confidence.
“If you score early on and then miss one, it doesn’t matter and it keeps your confidence high. If you haven’t scored for a few games and then miss one, then it can get very heavy on players’ shoulders. He’s no spring chicken but if he can continue what he’s doing and dovetail in and around [Patrick] Bamford, maybe they don’t need to dip into the striker market.”
