Aston Villa are interested in a deal to bring Ryan Kent to Villa Park in the January transfer window.

What's the talk?

That's according to a report by the Daily Mail, who claim that the new Villa boss, Steven Gerrard, is expected to be heavily backed by Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens in the upcoming winter market, with the 41-year-old hoping to make his former Rangers winger, Ryan Kent, the first signing of his reign at Villa Park.

The report goes on to mention the fact that Leeds United have also held a long-term interest in the 25-year-old forward, however, it is suggested that Gerrard's relationship with the former England U20 international could be enough to convince Kent of a move to the West Midlands club.

Kent could transform Villa

Considering the rather remarkable player Kent developed into under the guidance of Gerrard during his tenure at Ibrox, the signing of the winger this January could well be something that helps to transform the 41-year-old's current Aston Villa side into one that reflects his own image.

Indeed, over his 37 Scottish Premiership appearances last season, the £12.6m-rated forward scored ten goals, registered 11 assists and created nine big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.3 shots and making 1.8 key passes per game.

These returns saw the player who Scott Arfield dubbed a "frightening" talent earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.23, ranking him as the seventh-best performer in the top flight of Scottish Football.

The £18k-per-week man has continued this fine form over his six league appearances this season, having already bagged one goal, provided one assist and created one big chance for his teammates, in addition to averaging a SofaScore match rating of 7.05.

As such, it is clear to see that Kent would be an extremely effective option on the left of Gerrard's preferred front three, with the winger's returns only likely to improve if he were to secure a switch to an Aston Villa side that boasts a considerably greater amount of talent than that of Rangers.

And, with reports suggesting that the player who Gordon Strachan compared to Liverpool's Sadio Mane would be available for a fee of £20m as a result of a buy-out clause in his contract at Ibrox, a move for the 25-year-old would very much appear to be one that Johan Lange could afford to sanction for Aston Villa this January.

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