Fabrizio Romano claims Leeds United have transfer targets in mind that aren’t Ryan Kent. It’s a change that could cost Liverpool millions.
The Daily Mail claimed on Tuesday that Leeds United had eyes on Ryan Kent. This was great news for Liverpool, as it turns out, for the Reds are entitled to 20% of any fee.
Leeds could sell Dan James before the transfer deadline, the rumours say. They’d want a wide player as a replacement and Kent ticks the right boxes. He’s someone they’ve tried to sign multiple times before, after all.
However, Fabrizio Romano now claims that Leeds are looking at different players should James leave. There’s no mention of Kent at all.
“Leeds are considering Hwang Hee-Chan and Cody Gakpo as options to replace Daniel James only in case he decides to leave,” Romano wrote on Twitter.
And that could cost Liverpool millions.
Leeds United turn away from Ryan Kent
The problem for Liverpool is that Kent’s contract expires next year. There’s a very good chance, then, that they’ll completely miss out on that 20% if he doesn’t move in the next few days.
Kent will likely leave Rangers for free in 2023, and we’ve crunched the numbers – 20% of zero is zero.
Unless, of course, the Glaswegians can move him on for a fee in the next 24 hours-ish. Even just a £10m fee would net Liverpool a couple of million and that seems pretty reasonable for a player as good as Kent.
But it’s certainly not dead. Hwang wouldn’t be cheap to get away from Wolves, while Romano admits that a move for Gakpo is complicated. Leeds could return to Kent as a gettable player, should they fail with their other targets.
Liverpool will certainly hope that’s the case. If Leeds don’t go back in, that 20% sell-on clause looks unobtainable.
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