Rangers legend Paul Gascoigne reveals he almost never made it to Ibrox, as Leeds United almost got in there first.
The midfielder had endured an injury-hit spell with Italian giants Lazio, and by the summer of 1995 they were keen to sell him.
Gazza eventually signed for Rangers and spent three successful years there, but before the Ibrox club got in contact Leeds had sent director Bill Fotherby to Rome to meet with Lazio president Sergio Cragnotti.
Seeing a chance to drive the price up though the Italian leaked news of the meeting to the media, and it was Walter Smith who eventually got his man.
"I nearly signed for Leeds, but I ended up turning them down and joining Rangers ," Gascoigne told the Yorkshire Post .
"Chelsea also wanted to sign me, but I was not going there and the only English club I would have gone for was Leeds.
“But I ended up going to Rangers. Terry Butcher said: ‘go there and give it a try’ as they had Ally McCoist and Gordon Durie there. I went there and never looked back, but I think it would have been the same with Leeds.
"But I did not realise that after signing for Rangers, the next England game was at Elland Road (against Sweden) and I got hammered!"
