Philippe Clement has addressed the recent transfer rumour that Rangers could move to sign Ryan Kent and seal his return to the club.
Kent became a fan favourite at Ibrox across five years in Glasgow after signing for a fee of £7m from Liverpool in 2019.
But the tricky winger left for Turkish giants Fenerbahce on a free in the summer of 2023 following his release from the Light Blues alongside Alfredo Morelos.
His time in south-eastern Europe has been underwhelming to say the least and on Thursday, it was announced Kent’s contract in Turkey had been terminated.
Kent scored just one goal and provided two assists in 19 games for Fenerbahce, who are now managed by Chelsea legend Jose Mourinho.
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Clement on possible Kent to Rangers return
He is now a free agent and the situation was put to Clement as the Rangers boss previewed his side’s Premiership trip to Kilmarnock on Sunday.
Asked if a move for Kent is a possibility after a report broke on Thursday claiming Rangers could reunite with the winger, Clement replied: “I’ve said already in this past year that I don’t go into rumours because then it never stops. So I’m not going to go into rumours.
Clement then revealed that he tried to sign Kent permanently when the Belgian was manager of Club Brugge between 2019 and 2022.
He went on: “But of course, I know the player, and I’ve known him a long time, because the moment he went to Rangers, I was in talks with him to get him to (Club) Brugge.
“But there was a better deal, I think, in Rangers, in that way, so he chose for that. So, I’ve known him a long time, but I’m not going into rumours about bringing players on.”
Kent’s turbulent end to Fenerbahce stint
Kent was contracted at Fenerbahce until 2027 but the club issued a statement last night confirming that he had been released.
It simply read: “The contract of Ryan Kent, one of the players of the Professional Football A Team, has been mutually terminated.”
Kent made one appearance for the club this season in Champions League qualifying but other than that, he’s been out of the picture entirely.
One report by Milliyet has claimed Kent rejected the chance to leave in the summer with a staggering 21 clubs reportedly offering to sign him.
Apparently this infuriated manager Mourinho, who had allegedly told Kent that he would never play under the Portuguese boss at Fenerbahce again.
