Kent not for sale – Gerrard warns Leeds off Gers winger

Rangers boss Steven Gerrard has issued a hands off warning to Leeds after confirming the Ibrox side have knocked back an opening £10 million offer for Ryan Kent.

The Elland Road outfit are looking to strengthen ahead of their long-awaited Premier League return next month and have identified Kent as a key target.

The former Liverpool winger made a £7m switch to Glasgow last summer following a successful loan and has started the new campaign in sparkling form, scoring twice in his first four Premiership games.

But Gerrard is determined to keep hold of the 23-year-old and has warned Leeds he is not for sale.

“The message for sure is hands off,” said the Light Blues manager.

“Ryan’s a player we admire very much. We saw him develop at Liverpool and brought him here, when he did ever so well on loan.

“We went and bought Ryan and showed a lot of faith in him and he’s progressing very, very quickly here. He’s in a good place and a player we want to keep hold of.

“But yes we have had contact from Leeds and an opening bid has been really strongly rejected.”

Gerrard knows Marcelo Bielsa will have cash to spend after guiding Leeds back to the Premier League but has refused to put a price tag on his star winger.

“They are way, way off with that opening bid,” he added.

“That’s the truth and the reality. He’s a player who is not for sale. We do not want to lose Ryan. He’s a big part of what we’re trying to build here.

“We want him to stay for many, many years.

“But you know that Premier League teams hold a lot of power and that’s the reality. We have to accept that.

“But the message to Leeds is the opening bid is nowhere near the valuation and the player doesn’t really have one as we don’t want to sell.”

Gers saw their 100% start to the new season slip with Sunday’s goalless draw at Livingston, with the laboured display sparking fresh alarm amongst an Ibrox faithful already fretting over Celtic’s bid for a 10th successive title.

For today’s home clash with Killie, Leon Balogun (quad) and Joe Aribo (ankle) remain out for Rangers but could feature against Hamilton next week while Jermain Defoe (hamstring) is unlikely to be ready for a return until next month.

Kilmarnock defender Ross Millen will be suspended after his red card sparked last week’s late collapse against St Johnstone.

But boss Alex Dyer has no fresh injuries ahead of the clash as his side go in search of their first win this season. Only goalkeeper Jake Eastwood remains out with a thigh problem.

Leeds target Ryan Kent.