Rangers prospect Kai Kennedy looks to be on his way out of Ibrox with just a solitary appearance for the first team to his name after a report in The Scottish Sun revealed that he has been told he is free to find a new club.
The Gers had been looking to tie him down to a longer deal with the winger having just a year left to run on his current one, initially signed to fend off interest from some of European football’s big guns.
According to The Sun, Kennedy’s wage demands have been the stumbling block with Rangers refusing to budge on their current offer, as a result, the player has returned to training with the academy rather than the first team squad.
It will be a blow to Rangers fans and to Gerrard who was full of praise for the youngster earlier in the season when he was first seen in and around the match day squad:
“He earned the right to be the 19th man. His training performances and his cameo against Leicester – I was thinking about putting him in the 18. All of our lads at the academy should take note of what he’s done this week. I think he’s been outstanding.
“People look at Kai like he’s this wee player who doesn’t belong with men but he’s trained like a man all week.
“He’s been the most consistent and he’s a fabulous little player. It wasn’t just a token gesture because he’s a kid.
“It’s also to send a message to some of the players who are outside of the 18 that Kai was next from what I seen the majority of this week in training. He deserved to be out there.”
Kennedy’s departure would be another indication of how hard it is for clubs like Rangers to fully benefit from their academy with clubs in the “top five” leagues capable of paying significantly more to youngsters nowhere near the starting XI.
Gerrard and Ross Wilson will now look to get a fee for the player and load any potential deal with sell on clauses so that, even if they don’t see any long term benefit on the pitch, they at least see one off it.