Steven Gerrard admits the final say on Ryan Kent 's future could be "taken out" of his hands as determined Leeds United aim to tempt him to the Premier League.
The Liverpool icon admits he is desperate to keep hold of the player he signed in a £7m deal from the Anfield side last summer.
And Gerrard also refused to be drawn on whether or not the 23-year-old winger's Ibrox terms has a release clause inserted.
He said: "Every player has different things in their contracts, that's just the way it is."
The 40-year-old is adamant he wants the Englishman to remain with Rangers as they aim to deny rivals Celtic a 10th consecutive title.
But Gerrard concedes the final say could come at boardroom level after an initial offer believed to be £8m rising to £10m was turfed out.
Record Sport understands Leeds are considering raising the stakes again as manager Marcelo Bielsa is a long-term admirer.
Gerrard added: “The message to Leeds is the opening bid is nowhere near the valuation and the player doesn’t really have one as we don’t want to sell.
“We want the player to stay here, as do the board. The fans love him also and Leeds will need to respect that.
“They really need to think hard if they want to come in again. The message is ‘hands off’.
“What I will say is that if the valuation of any player is met then, as much as I would like the final say on it, it will probably be taken out of my hands.
“To be honest, I’m not really interested in reading into it whether they are going to come back or not.
"For me, it’s just a strong message that he’s not for sale.”
