Steven Gerrard has given up in his pursuit of Liverpool youngster Ryan Kent.
The Rangers manager had raided his old club last season to take the 22-year-old to Ibrox on loan, with Kent making a fine impact north of the border.
But the 39-year-old Kop legend has admitted that another deal for the wide man is highly unlikely.
As quoted by the Mirror, when asked if Liverpool’s £10 million valuation was out of his price range, he said: “I haven’t asked that question [to the board] but I think the answer would probably be yes.
“The end of it? Where we are right now, yes. We respect Liverpool’s stance and we thank them very much for allowing us to work with Ryan for a year.”
OPINION
It’s hard to know what to make of this. Jurgen Klopp has made it very clear that he has no real intention of loaning Kent out again this season, but equally, it is hard to see the 22-year-old breaking into first team any time soon either. That would leave a permanent move away as the only real solution, but as is shown by Gerrard’s comments, most of the sides who would realistically be interested in Kent will probably baulk at the Reds’ valuation. It’s a shame too because Kent seemed to fit in at Rangers like a hand in a glove. For a young player to arrive on loan and end the season as the Scottish PFA’s Young Player of the Year is a massive achievement, and it is understandable that Rangers were so keen to to take him back. As for the player himself, what happens next is anybody’s guess at this stage.
