Ex-Rangers star Ryan Kent to become a free agent - Hull City, Sheffield United & Sheffield Wednesday should look to swoop | OneFootball

Ryan Kent is set to become a free agent, and numerous EFL clubs should be monitoring his situation closely

Former Rangers winger Ryan Kent is set to become a free agent this January once his deal with Seattle Sounders expires, having undergone an injury-ravaged season on Stateside.

Having joined the academy of Liverpool aged seven, Oldham-born Kent would spend his entire youth career in the Reds setup, progressing his way through to the first-team, signing a fresh four-and-a-half-year deal with the club in March 2015.

Kent would spend the first half of the 2015/16 season on loan with Coventry City in League One, scoring once and assisting once before being recalled the following January to be assessed by Jurgen Klopp. He would make his only appearance for the Merseyside outfit that month in an FA Cup tie against Exeter City.

The Englishman would have further loan spells with each of Barnsley, Freiburg, Bristol City, and Rangers, the latter of which he would join on a permanent deal in September 2019 for a reported £6.5 million.

Kent would spend the next four years with the Glasgow outfit, making 213 appearances for the club across all competitions, scoring 33 and grabbing 56 assists from the wing, and following the expiry of his deal at Ibrox, he would head to Turkey to join Fenerbahce in June 2023.

The winger would spend just over a year in the Turkish capital before having his contract, which still had three years left to run, terminated, having been frozen out by then-manager Jose Mourinho and would leave the club with just 19 appearances across all competitions in his solitary year with the club.

Kent would join Seattle Sounders in March 2025 and would struggle to break his way into the side upon his arrival, before a muscle injury kept him out of action for the final ten games of the MLS season, and it is now reported that the 29-year-old's deal is not going to be extended, becoming a free agent once again.

Clubs in the Championship should be on high alert to his situation, and Football League World has picked out three sides in particular who should make a move for Kent should an opportunity arise.

3 ? ? Hull City

Hull were hit by a transfer embargo during the summer, with the Tigers unable to pay a fee for a player until January 2027, relying on loans and free transfers until then.

Semi Ajayi, Oli McBurnie, and John Lunstram all arrived on Humberside this summer on free deals, whilst Joe Gelhardt, Enis Destan, and Joel Ndala all joined on loan.

Despite expectations not being set high because of their off-field issues, Hull have looked to be good value for a play-off place so far this season under Sergej Jakirovic, and should have one eye on Kent as the January window approaches, with the winger set to be available on a free transfer.

Mohamed Belloumi and Liam Millar have returned from long-term injuries but have since suffered fresh setbacks, whilst Ndala has yet to have the desired output from out wide, with Kyle Joseph operating off the left instead despite being a striker.

Should Kent sign, he would fill that void and offer strong competition in wide attacking areas, whilst also staying in line with the Tigers' transfer restrictions - with Millar and Belloumi both proving hard to keep fit, his experience in top European competitions could prove pivotal.

Sheffield United reached the play-off final last season, narrowly losing out to Sunderland 2-1, and since then, it has been a downward spiral that has yet to stop spiralling.

Ruben Selles was brought in to replace Chris Wilder following the play-off defeat, but after just five league games, the Spaniard was dismissed, and Wilder was once again brought back in, which is his third stint at the club as manager.

The Blades have proven to be toothless in front of goal this campaign, with each of Tom Cannon, Louie Barry, Danny Ings, Chiedozie Ogbene, and Tahith Chong all floundering in the final third thus far.

The arrival of Patrick Bamford on a free transfer until January sums up the sorry state of affairs the club finds itself in, and with Kent set to become a free agent this January, Wilder should have one eye on the 29-year-old winger.

With Barry set to have his loan cut short, Bamford only guaranteed to be there until January, and rumours of Cannon potentially departing on loan too, Kent may prove to be a shrewd addition for the South Yorkshire outfit, in what would be a low-risk, high-reward move.

Similarly to Hull, Sheffield Wednesday have been placed under a transfer embargo this summer, but unlike the Tigers, Wednesday have entered administration and been hit with a 12-point deduction as a result.

It has been a turbulent period for the Owls, to say the least, but now with Chansiri out of the club, fans of the Hillsborough outfit will be hoping that brighter days are right around the corner.

Many fans will have already accepted their fate of relegation, with a threadbare squad, a point deduction, and few signs that they will be able to topple the odds. Though this will not deter them from putting up a fight.

The Owls will have eyes on numerous free agents this January, and having already signed former Leeds United favourite Liam Cooper, Henrik Pedersen's side, you would imagine, will not be done there and will go after as many targets as they possibly can.

With Kent becoming a free agent this January, a move for the winger would almost certainly be an ambitious one given his European pedigree, but they should do absolutely everything they can to convince the former Rangers man to head to Hillsborough this winter.

Whether Kent would be up for the challenge remains to be seen, but with quality free agents few and far between, the 29-year-old will be a highly attractive option for the Owls, who should do everything in their power to bring him to the club.