Steven Gerrard spent days with Ryan Kent over the summer holding heart-to-hearts in an attempt to make his return a reality.
The winger rejoined the Ibrox giants for £7million in a deadline-day busting move that was Rangers ’ biggest transfer outlay since Tore Andre Flo in 2000 for £12m.
To many the move looked unlikely – especially when Jurgen Klopp ruled out another loan for his Liverpool player earlier in the window.
But Rangers boss Gerrard repeatedly appeared relaxed when quizzed over a potential return for the 22-year-old.
And now Sunday Mail chief football writer Scott McDermott – who had repeatedly stated Kent will return – can reveal perhaps why Gerrard seemed so confident.
Scott, speaking on the Rangers Podcast, has revealed he understands the manager took around three days out from his break away from the game to plan how he’d bring back Kent.
He also discloses an English Championship side had wanted to land the attacker but knew almost from the off Kent’s heart rested on a return to Glasgow.
With fascinating insight, Scott said: "It’s a huge amount of money. It’s a huge signing. Whether it would have happened had Rangers failed to qualify for the Europa league groups I’m not so sure.
"Essentially the £7-8m from the Europa League pays for Kent. Maybe that’s why Steven Gerrard celebrated so wildly when Alfredo Morelos scored against Legia Warsaw.
"It’s a big statement. Sunday probably highlighted the need to get Kent. I know it didn’t happen until so close to the deadline but I wasn’t surprised by the signing.
"I’ve said all along Kent would end up at Rangers. I just got the feeling from very early on.
"I’d heard wee things over the summer like Gerrard spending a bit of time with Kent. And I mean away from Rangers. He had spent a bit of time persuading Kent.
"I’m told he actually spent several days with Kent over the summer. He was planning for this move.
"There was an English Championship club planning to make a move for the player. I’d heard there was a recruitment meeting at this club.
"The manager had expressed an interest in Kent but the feedback he got from the director of football was that they had already spoken to Kent’s representatives and there was no point in pursuing it.
"As far as the director of football was concerned, there was only one place Kent wanted to go and that was Rangers.
"Those couple of things I’d heard made me think by hook or by crook this was going to happen."
You can listen to the Rangers Podcast in the player above as Scott and Jonathan McFarlane also discuss why it might be time to drop Connor Goldson for Filip Helander and the curious case of Eros Grezda.
