GIOVANNI VAN BRONCKHORST is set to return to Ibrox to replace Steven Gerrard as Rangers’ new boss.
The Dutchman, who featured for the Scottish side between 1998-2001 before joining Arsenal, has been the favourite to take charge of the club.
Van Bronckhorst, 46, recently jetted into London to hold talks with the Gers about becoming their manager after Gerrard left for Aston Villa.
A delegation of Rangers chiefs then jetted to Amsterdam on Tuesday for further discussions.
And SunSport understands negotiations between the club and the former Barcelona man were tonight nearing completion.
The final detailed discussions centre around the appointment of Van Bronckhorst’s full backroom staff.
It remains to be seen whether his right-hand man Jean-Paul van Gastel will join him at Rangers.
Van Gastel – currently manager at Guangzhou City – had been Van Bronckhorst’s No2 at the Chinese club.
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Despite the uncertainty of whether Gastel will arrive in Glasgow, sources close to the deal believe an agreement is close to being signed, sealed and delivered – barring any last minute hitches.
Rangers Sporting Director Ross Wilson has been leading negotiations, with club chiefs pleased with the process so far.
During his three-year spell at Rangers, Van Bronckhorst featured in 117 games in all competitions, while scoring an impressive 22 goals.
One of those strikes came in the 2000 Scottish Cup final as he broke the deadlock in the 4-0 win against Aberdeen.
In total, Van Bronckhorst won the Scottish Premier League twice, along with two Scottish Cups and one Scottish League Cup.
He will take over a side sitting top of the table after 13 games played, with the club four points ahead of rivals Celtic.
Rangers, who could still qualify for the knockout stages of the Europa League, face Hibernian on Sunday for a place in the League Cup final.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
