Rangers will meet with Giovanni van Bronckhorst on Saturday to open negotiations on a deal for the Dutchman to replace Steven Gerrard.
Record Sport can reveal the 46-year-old will travel to London to hold lunchtime talks with a top level Ibrox delegation as he closes in on the vacant manager’s hotseat.
The crunch meeting was set up after we told yesterday how the former Rangers, Arsenal and Barcelona star was ready to jump on a plane at a moment’s notice if he got the chance of a return to Glasgow.
It’s understood the club’s sporting director Ross Wilson then opened dialogue with Van Bronckhorst’s advisors.
Today’s meeting should clear the way for him to head up preparations for Saturday’s Premier Sports Cup semi final against Hibs at Hampden.
Van Bronckhorst will look for assurances over his backroom team and financial backing to strengthen – especially if key players are sold in January.
Rangers posted a loss of £23.5million for the year ending June but claimed the majority of that was due to Covid-19.
Van Bronckhorst, who led Feyenoord to league and cup success, has been out of the game since he left Chinese side Guangzhou R&F last December.
The Dutchman had a successful three-year spell at Gers under Advocaat as a player from 1998 before he moved on to Arsenal, Barcelona and finished up at Feyenoord.
There are a number of managers who have impressed sporting director Wilson. Bodo Glimt boss Kjetil Knutsen is one, with his unfancied side sitting top of the Norwegian top flight.
Frank Lampard – who last night pulled out of talks with Norwich – is another name.
Rangers have spoken to Lampard’s representatives but van Bronckhorst remains their preferred choice.
The first team are due back next week and, if the Dutchman isn’t in place, Colts bosses Brian Gilmour and David McCallum are likely to take training, with Neil McCann a potential stopgap.
