Liverpool could be set to miss out on a multi-million transfer windfall in January following Michael Beale’s appointment as Rangers manager.
The former Reds academy coach has left his post at Queens Park Rangers to return to Ibrox, having previously served as the Gers’ first-team coach under Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard. And while he will have worked with the majority of his players before, having only left the Scottish giants in November 2021, there are two names in particular in his ranks that will stand out to Kopites.
Former Liverpool defender Ben Davies is one of the few players at Rangers to have actually not worked with Beale before, having only moved north of the border in the summer. However, fellow former Red Ryan Kent is the player his new manager will know best, having also overseen his development during his formative days in the Anfield youth ranks.
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The winger left Liverpool himself in 2019, signing for Rangers permanently in a deal worth an initial £6.5m following a successful loan spell, with a further £1m potentially owed in achievable bonuses. Having initially placed a £12m price tag on the winger’s head, and rejected both a £5m bid from Russian side Krasnodar and a £4.5m offer from Leeds United, the Reds also negotiated a 20% sell-on clause in the deal, confident Kent’s potential would see him one day return to the Premier League.
Including his year on loan, Kent has enjoyed a successful four seasons at Ibrox. Making 196 appearances to date, he has returned 31 goals and 53 assists, while helping the Gers win the Scottish Premiership and Scottish Cup, as well as reach last year's Europa League final.
And despite being linked with a return to England repeatedly in that time, the 26-year-old has remained put at Rangers. However, with his contract set to expire next summer, he currently looks set to leave the Scottish giants in the near future.
If Rangers concede defeat in their efforts to persuade Kent to stay put, January offers them a final chance to cash in on the winger ahead of a would-be Bosman exit in 2023. As a result, the winter window also offers Liverpool a final chance for that 20% sell-on clause to be activated, with the Reds entitled to that percentage of any profit the Gers’ could make when selling their soon-to-be out of contract star.
However, Beale has confirmed he wants Kent to remain at Rangers following his appointment as manager.
"They are two players that I've worked well with previously," he said of Kent and Alfredo Morelos’ futures, with the Colombian striker also out of contract next summer. "When I was here previously they were both excellent in different ways.
"In Alfredo, in terms of the goals he scored, and Ryan in terms of the way he entertained people and got on the ball and took the game to the opponent. I think they're capable of more than they're showing right now, that's fair to say, but they'll have their own reasons for that and they'll be working away at that.
"I trust both players and we've played this out as a club before with Connor Goldson and his contract situation. Sometimes a player wants to see and take their time, there's no problem, it's fine.
“I think the option is both ways with the players, the cards aren't in Ryan and Alfredo's hands. We also want to create a stronger Rangers going forward, with or without those players. Ideally with them."
Should Rangers successfully negotiate a new contract with Kent, Liverpool’s sell-on clause will have still expired, ending any hopes of a further payment. Meanwhile, they are also not due any further fees if he is not sold for a profit, including a potentially Bosman exit, ensuring the Reds will be keeping one eye on the academy graduate’s situation when the January transfer window opens.
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