Gerrard: Kent has his price
● £10m Leeds bid rejected but manager admits it could be taken out of his hands
Steven Gerrard has admitted he could be powerless to prevent Ryan Kent from leaving Rangers if Leeds United meet the Ibrox club’s asking price for the winger.
The Rangers manager confirmed that an initial bid for Kent from the English Premier League newcomers, understood to be worth around £10 million, was turned down earlier this week.
Gerrard is determined to retain the services of the 23-year-old who joined Rangers from Liverpool in a £7.5 million deal last year.
But, while Gerrard insists his stance is backed by the club’s board and that Kent is “happy and settled” at Rangers, he is fully aware the situation could change if Leeds return with a bigger offer.
Gerrard would neither confirm nor deny whether Kent has a release clause in his contract which could be triggered by any club agreeing to pay a specific fee.
“Every player has different things in their contracts, that’s just the way it is,” said Gerrard. “Negotiations take place between each individual and the club and it’s not my place to divulge what is in an individual’s contract.
“What I will say is that, if the valuation of any player is met, then, as much as I would like the final say on it, it will probably be taken out of my hands.
“It’s correct we have rejected an offer from Leeds for Ryan. It has been strongly rejected and we move on.
“To be honest, I’m not really interested in reading into whether Leeds are going to come back or not. For me, it’s just a strong message that he’s not for sale.
“Listen, I’m a realist. I’m not soft, I’m not stupid. I realise the power of Leeds now that they are a Premier League team. I understand and respect the power of all the Premier League teams and all the teams from the top five leagues in the world. I get it.
“But they have also got to respect and understand that he is one of our main players. He is a fantastic player.
“We have spent two years trying to build something here that is competitive and he is a big part of that jigsaw.
“So he is someone that we want to fight to keep. But, you know, everyone has a number and a price and a valuation. Right now, where it stands, Leeds are nowhere near that. So, at the moment, I am not concerned.
“Ryan is settled here. He is very happy and I think he appreciates what the club has done for him in terms of his career. But at the same time we have to respect the fact that he is playing well and there is a lot of interest in him. We have to see how this one plays out. He is a player we don’t want to sell. The board are on the same page as myself in terms of that decision. We have spoken to
Ryan about it, to be respectful.
“I’m not inside Ryan’s head, I don’t know what he’s thinking. But I’ve had a chat with him and he seems really fine and calm about the situation. I trust him in terms of being able to block all the noise out and focus on the job he needs to do here. Ryan really respects the club he is at. He respects the supporters and his teammates. He totally understands the outside noise and it wouldn’t surprise me if he just carries on regardless and focuses on his football.”
Gerrard, meanwhile, admits he remains perturbed by the demeanour of striker Alfredo Morelos after Rangers rejected Lille’s initial advances for