Ryan Kent was something of a post-Rangers trend setter although we all didn’t realise it at the time.
The former Ibrox winger, now 27, joined Turkish giants Fenerbahce at the end of his Ibrox contract following five years in Glasgow.
Having just been joined in Türkiye by Trabzonspor pair Borna Barisic and John Lundstram, now it appears like he’ll never get to face off against his former Rangers teammates.
That’s because reports in Turkey are claiming that Ryan Kent is closing in on a return to the UK.
Kent set to return to the UK
Rangers, who’d paid Liverpool £7m for Kent’s services in 2019, saw the winger leave for nothing despite substantial interest in his services during his time in Glasgow.
Kent’s exit, along with that of Alfredo Morelos, are the two biggest examples of Rangers’ failure to sell whilst an asset’s stock was highest.
One of the club’s most closely linked to Ryan Kent were Leeds United, with the Elland Road side having a £10m approach turned down in 2020.
The Championship club have once again been linked with a move to sign Ryan Kent with the winger deemed surplus to requirements by Jose Mourinho at Fenerbahce.
But it is not Leeds United who are closing in on a deal to sign Kent despite having banked a £25m+ fortune from the sale of Crysencio Summerville to West Ham.
That’s because Turkish outlet Haber Ekspres are claiming that Ipswich Town are closing in on a £2.5m deal for the winger.
Fenerbahce do what Gers never could
Should the deal to Ipswich Town go through, it will mark Ryan Kent’s return to the UK only one year on from leaving for Turkey.
The switch comes after a challenging spell for the winger out east.
Ryan Kent only played in one Super Lig game in the second half of last season whilst the winger was left out of Fenerbahce’s Champions League QR3 qualifying squad, despite playing in QR2 v Lugano.
But Ipswich Town have big ambitions having just gained promotion to the Premier League following a stellar Championship season.
The club have already splashed over £60m to bring Omari Hutchison (Chelsea), Jacob Greaves (Hull), Liam Delap (Man City), Arijanet Muric (Burnley), Connor Townsend (WBA) and Ben Johnson (West Ham) to the club this summer.
Ryan Kent clearly fits in with the young British transfer model at Ipswich Town and Rangers fans will keep an eye on how the winger does in the Premier League.
But should Ipswich Town sign the attacker, Fenerbahce will have done what Rangers never could and that’s turn a profit on the ex-Oldham, Bristol City and Freiburg loanee.
