Russell Martin has agreed terms to become Rangers’ new manager, talkSPORT understands.
Former Southampton boss Martin is set to sign a three-year contract with the Ibrox giants with an official announcement expected by the end of the week.
Martin, sacked by Saints in December with the club bottom of the Premier League, also held talks with Leicester but a move to Glasgow was always believed to be his preferred option.
He had been on the Foxes’ radar following their relegation to the Championship.
Rangers have been searching for Philippe Clement’s successor since the Belgian was axed in February.
Former ‘Gers captain Barry Ferguson took charge of the club for the final three months of the season but was informed that he would not be considered for the job on a full-time basis.
Rangers interviewed former manager Steven Gerrard, while ex-Real Madrid assistant Davide Ancelotti was also in contention.
But the Ibrox club finally have their man with the club’s new US owners set to appoint former Rangers defender Martin who had a loan stint at the club in 2018.
New sporting director Kevin Thelwell’s first act after taking up the role on Monday is set to be a quick and significant one.
“While there has been significant work going on in the background prior to my arrival, that naturally accelerates from today, and top of the priority list will be the appointment of a new head coach for our men’s first team,” he said
“That search has been progressing well, and the club and I look forward to bringing that to a conclusion in the coming days.
“This is a new chapter for Rangers, and while we recognise success won’t come easy, our goal is clear: we need to win.
Martin knows all about the expectation at Ibrox as he prepares to take over as boss“My focus is on delivering that, with discipline and ambition. We’ll give everything to move this club forward as quickly and sustainably as we can.”
It will be 39-year-old Martin’s fourth managerial stint having had spells at MK Dons and Swansea before helping lead Southampton to promotion to the Premier League last season.
Meanwhile, the future of current Leicester boss Ruud van Nistelrooy has been the topic of speculation after a torrid Premier League campaign.
That led club chiefs to sound out possible replacements for the Dutchman with Martin topping a shortlist of candidates.
Martin’s imminent move to Glasgow is likely to leave Leicester bosses in limbo with their next move.
It could see Van Nistelrooy remain at the King Power Stadium where he has two years remaining on his contract.
Ruud van Nistelrooy could be set to continue his Leicester City stintGettyOther names linked with the Leiecster hot seat are Sheffield Wednesday boss Danny Rohl and Strasbourg manager Liam Rosenior.
Both managers would come at a cost to the cash-strapped Foxes with compensation fees required which could act as a stumbling block with the club set to be hit with a hefty points deduction for alleged breaches of Profit and Sustainability Rules.
Therefore, Van Nistelrooy remaining at the helm next season cannot be ruled out.
Speaking after the Foxes’ final games of the season, the Dutchman hinted that he was ready to lead the club in the Championship.
“If you look at my job, I’m responsible for the good of the football club,”he said. “I emphasised it five weeks ago, that it could be an opportunity to start planning early, which I think would have been for the benefit of the football club. For me that’s the interest.
“It’s not about me and my future. It’s what is good for the football club. I always shared that with the board and the chairman. It’s up to them how they want to deal with it.
“Then I will focus because that is the job in the short term. They know how I see things, it’s up to them how they respond to that.
“We’ll all find out, hopefully sooner than later. Not for me personally, but it’s important for the club and the supporters. It needs to be clear what the strategy will be and the plans and how to attack next season. Obviously it’s a big one.”
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