Aston Villa will reportedly make Liverpool star Ryan Kent a transfer target this summer as they prepare for a Premier League return.
Dean Smith’s side saw off Derby County in the Championship playoff final at Wembley on Monday, securing a return to the top flight.
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In turn, they will now start planning to strengthen their squad to ensure that they stay there next season, and according to Football Insider, Kent will be one of their top targets and they’re highly fancied to secure a deal for the 22-year-old.
Kent spent this past season on loan at Rangers and bagged six goals and nine assists in 43 appearances for Steven Gerrard’s side.
Whether or not that’s enough to convince them to try and sign him on a permanent basis remains to be seen, but as per the report above, it sounds as though they will face stiff competition from Villa who are in a stronger position to afford his transfer fee.
It’s added that it will likely cost Villa around £12m to sign Kent, and so Smith will surely need to be certain that he’s a good fit for what he’s trying to build for next season as it remains to be seen what his transfer budget will be.
As for Liverpool, they must also decide if Kent has a future at Anfield or not, as if it’s the latter, then pocketing around £12m will surely be a boost for Jurgen Klopp to continue to strengthen his squad.
