Rangers will hold talks with Steven Gerrard over the next 48 hours with a view to him returning as the club’s new manager.
Gerrard is now the clear favourite to take the job – and admitted earlier this week that he has ‘unfinished business’ in management.
A Rangers delegation including Andrew Cavenagh and Paraag Marathe, the club’s two main powerbrokers, will meet in London on Thursday to spearhead the recruitment process.
It is understood that they will open talks with Gerrard and his representatives over a return to the club he managed for three years between 2018-2021 before leaving for Aston Villa.
But it is by no means a done deal yet. Gerrard will seek clarity on the club’s structure behind the scenes as well as the chain of command.
Daily Mail Sport understands that he won’t have an issue working alongside sporting director Kevin Thelwell, but Gerrard would demand the final say and absolute authority on all transfer dealings.
Steven Gerrard won the title with Rangers during his first spell at the Ibrox club
Paraag Marathe (left) and Andrew Cavenagh are due to meet with Gerrard in London
The former Liverpool and England captain also needs to be convinced that Rangers is the right environment for him as he seeks to get his management career back on track.
Gerrard held initial talks with Rangers back in the summer prior to the appointment of Russell Martin, but expressed a reluctance to uproot his family from their life in Bahrain.
Whilst he would still need to sort out his personal circumstances and decide whether he’s keen on a return to Glasgow, Gerrard is understood to be open to a conversation with his former employers.
Sources have also indicated that Slaven Bilic was another possible candidate whom Rangers became aware of earlier this week, but the club would prefer a younger profile of manager.
Gerrard is understood to be in pole position, but club sources at Rangers are keen to stress that he is not the only name under consideration at this stage.
Earlier this week, Gerrard seemingly opened the door for a possible return to Ibrox when he spoke to his former England team-mate Rio Ferdinand on a podcast.
Ferdinand believes it would be no surprise if Gerrard did indeed end up back in charge of the club with whom he won a Scottish league title in 2021.
Gerrard would replace Russell Martin, who was ousted from his position last weekend
Speaking to talkSPORT, Ferdinand said: ‘I have to say when I interviewed him, he left me in no uncertain terms that he wants to be a manager and he’s got full confidence in doing that.
‘He’s itching to get back in now. He never said this to me, but I personally think just the energy that I felt in that room, that if Rangers came calling he’d go or at least have that conversation.
‘What I felt, if I was an owner of a football club and Steven Gerrard was sat in front of me and I felt that energy in the room when I was interviewing him, he’s getting the job.
‘Forget what’s gone on before, but also his time before at Rangers, he did great there.
‘I’ve never had so many Rangers fans flood the comments of my social media or the podcast.
‘They’re all desperate for him to go up and at least have the conversation, so I wouldn’t be surprised if Steven Gerrard is managing again very soon and Rangers would be probably one of my big bets.’
