Leeds United’s negotiations to sign Ryan Kent from Liverpool are progressing well, according to The Athletic journalist Phil Hay.
The former Yorkshire Evening Post reporter claimed via a live Q&A session on The Athletic’s website on Wednesday morning that while Leeds are playing a risky game by making such a last-ditch swoop for Kent, 22, on deadline day eve, the Whites are confident of getting a deal done.
“Always a risk but negotiations over Kent have been productive. Leeds should be in a position to get that done if they need to, now that [Kemar] Roofe has been sold,” said Hay.
Leeds confirmed on Tuesday that Roofe has joined Anderlecht on a permanent basis and it seems as though Marcelo Bielsa has Liverpool forward Kent in his sights as a potential replacement.
OPINION
Kent was in great form while on loan at Rangers last season but one criticism of his spell at Ibrox was how many goals he scored. Kent netted just six times in 43 appearances across all competitions. Kent played out on the left wing in the bulk of his outings north of the border, but still, that’s hardly a goalscoring record that suggests he might not be the best option to replace Roofe, who was Leeds’ top goalscorer last term. Kent is a tricky winger who loves to drive forward using his pace and skills, but Leeds already have plenty of wingers who can play on both the left and right flank so signing the Liverpool forward is a bit of an odd one unless Bielsa has major faith in his abilities to transform the 22-year-old. It is a risk, but almost everything that the Argentine manager has tried at Elland Road has led to some fans and pundits raising doubts. Maybe he’ll prove a lot of people, including us, wrong over Kent.
