Leeds United are considering making a late move for long-term transfer target Ryan Kent.
What's the talk?
That's according to a report by the Daily Mail, who claim that, with Daniel James being linked with a move away from Elland Road this summer - with both Tottenham Hotspur and Everton believed to be keen on the 24-year-old - Victor Orta could be tempted to reignite his long-term interest in a £15m move for the Glasgow Rangers winger in the coming days.
The report goes on to touch on the Whites' failed attempt to bring the Scotland international to the Premier League back in the summer of 2020, however, with one year remaining on his current contract at Ibrox, previous reports have suggested that the former Liverpool forward would be open to a move away from Glasgow this summer.
Orta can bin James with Kent
Considering the contrasting returns of Kent and James over the course of the past 12 months, should an opportunity arise for Orta to swap the latter for the former over the remainder of the summer transfer window, it is something the Whites' sporting director simply must grasp with both hands.
Indeed, after sealing a £30m move to Elland Road last summer, the £16.2m-rated James failed to impress over his 34 Premier League appearances last term, scoring just four goals - despite being deployed up top 14 times - providing four assists and creating five big chances, as well as taking an average of 1.6 shots, making 0.8 key passes and completing 0.6 dribbles per game.
[snack-amp-story url= "https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-leeds-united-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-more-2" title="Read the latest Leeds news, transfer rumours and so much more!"]
These metrics saw the £50k-per-week forward who Graeme Souness dubbed "reckless" average an extremely disappointing SofaScore match rating of just 6.64, ranking him as Jesse Marsch's joint ninth-worst performer in the top flight of English football last time out.
In comparison, over Kent's 26 Scottish Premiership appearances in 2021/22, the £15.75m-rated winger was in much more impressive form, scoring two goals, registering eight assists and creating 10 big chances for his teammates, in addition to taking an average of 2.5 shots, making 1.7 key passes and completing 2.0 dribbles per fixture.
These returns saw the £52k-per-week attacker who Steven Gerrard labelled "dangerous" average a SofaScore match rating of 7.06 - a rating which, should he have achieved at Leeds last season, would have ranked him as the Whites' best performing outfielder in the Premier League.
Furthermore, the 25-year-old also played a key role in Rangers' widely unexpected run to the 2021/22 Europa League final, scoring one goal, registering three assists and creating five big chances over his 13 appearances in the competition - averaging an extremely impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.08.
As such, should Leeds manage to bring in a reported £20m for James in the coming days, it would appear highly advisable for Orta to immediately spend a potential £15m of this money on the Rangers sensation, as it is evident that the Scotland international would represent a huge upgrade on the 24-year-old Welshman.