Steven Gerrard's Rangers tenure is racing towards an end as he prepares to sign on the dotted line at Aston Villa.
Record Sport revealed on Tuesday the Premier League big guns were set to ask for permission to open contract talks with the former England skipper and the deal moved on significantly on Wednesday when a compensation package worth around £3million was agreed between both clubs.
We also understand a number of Gerrard’s key backroom team were given the green light to travel to London as well to meet with Villa chief executive Christian Purslow as the final details of the agreement were being thrashed out.
These developments have cleared the way for Gerrard and his staff - including right hand man Gary McAllister and coaches Michael Beale and Tom Culshaw - to be unveiled in the Midlands in the next 24 hours and possibly as early as Thursday afternoon.
Barring an unexpected eleventh hour collapse Gerrard will take charge of relegation threatened Villa for the first time against Brighton a week on Saturday.
It’s understood he will become the highest paid manager in the club’s history and has been promised a huge January transfer kitty by billionaire owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens.
But it’s Gerrard’s close and long standing relationship with former Liverpool managing director Purslow which has played a critical part in persuading him to make the leap now.
A source said: “Steven and Christian may not have shared a dressing room at Anfield but they had enormous respect for one another all the same. So much so, in fact, that eight years ago Steven attended Christian’s 50th birthday party.
“There is a very strong relationship there and that will be a huge factor in Steven’s decision. The Premier League can be a cut-throat environment for any manager so it’s a huge comfort to know the chief executive is firmly in your corner.
“He’ll be given the time he needs at Villa to put his plans in place in much the same way as he was at Ibrox.”
