Glasgow Rangers are reportedly set to firm up their interest in a former Ibrox assistant manager with an outstanding candidate having emerged to replace Giovanni van Bronckhorst at the Old Firm outfit.

What's the word?

That's according to talkSPORT reporter Alex Crook, who revealed that the Scottish Premiership side are set to step up their bid to land Mick Beale, having sacked van Bronckhorst earlier this week.

Writing on Twitter about that developing situation, the insider stated that "Rangers look set to make a formal approach" for the coach. Crook continued: "Interesting to see if he stays loyal to the project this time. Big job to say no to."

Reports this morning from talkSPORT then went on to suggest that his current club expect him to now make the move north of the border.

'Genius' appointment

The Englishman is of course a name familiar to the Light Blues, with the Bromley-born coach having previously worked under Steve Gerrard during the latter man's time in charge at Ibrox, the pair helping to guide the club to a historic 55th league title back in 2021 to end Celtic's lengthy domestic dominance.

While it may have been the former England international receiving much of the plaudits for that glorious triumph due to his role in the top job, the suggestion is that Beale was also just as vital to that success, having been dubbed the "brains" behind the operation by former Gers striker, Kyle Lafferty.

Also lauded as a "genius" by Jermain Defoe, the former Sao Paulo assistant coach arguably did much of the training ground work during his time in Scotland, having been praised for his quality behind the scenes by Gerrard, with the latter man stating:

“It would take me 15/20 years to become as good as Michael Beale as an on-pitch coach, delivering sessions on a daily basis – so I let Mick be Mick Beale, because he’s the expert.”

The up-and-coming asset has taken that talent into his first managerial post at Loftus Road, having guided the west London outfit into playoff contention after an impressive start to the season, with that impact having even seen him come close to joining Premier League side, Wolverhampton Wanderers.

While the 42-year-old ultimately snubbed that approach to stay put in his current surroundings, it remains to be seen if he is able to resist the temptation of returning to Scotland to re-join his former employers, although as far as Rangers are concerned it could well be something of a masterstroke to bring back a familiar face who has previously enjoyed success at the club.