Journalist Pete O’Rourke has claimed that Victor Orta is a fan of Rangers winger Ryan Kent amid a potential summer transfer.
Kent is a sought-after winger who is heading into the final year of his contract with Rangers, and Leeds have been monitoring his progress this season, due to former boss Marcelo Bielsa being keen on bringing the Englishman to Elland Road.
The winger came through the youth academy at Liverpool, but has featured heavily for Rangers since his introduction at Ibrox, making 164 appearances in the four seasons that he has been at the club.
With the reports that Leeds are showing continued interest in Kent, O’Rourke confirmed to GiveMeSport that Orta is keen on the Rangers ace.
He said: “I think Marcelo Bielsa was a big fan of him, as is Victor Orta, so that one does seem to have some credence to it.”
TIF Thoughts on Pete O’Rourke’s comments…
Rangers winger Kent is currently valued at £12.6 million by Transfermarkt and has two goals and 10 assists this campaign in the Scottish Premiership. In terms of individual stats, Kent has impressed, he has an average passing accuracy of 87%, has created 10 big chances and has been named in SofaScore’s Team of the Week on four occasions.
So, it comes as no surprise that Sky Sports pundit Kris Boyd raved about the winger in a recent game between Rangers and Borussia Dortmund, as he labelled his second-half display as ‘unbelievable’. And, as mentioned above, it seems as if Bielsa was a big fan of the winger as an article from TEAMTalk claims he was the Argentinian’s top target.
Kent has been on the radar of Leeds, and he could make a good signing for Jesse Marsch, but it is likely that if the Whites want to sign him, they will have to confirm their Premier League status ahead of next season.
After coming through the Liverpool youth academy, Kent may be open to a move back to his home country, and his stats suggest he could have something to offer in the Premier League, but the price must be right for Rangers if they were to let go of their star winger.