Rangers will need to dig deep if they want to make Derek McInnes their next manager, according to reports. The Hearts boss is a leading candidate to replace Danny Rohl, who is increasingly likely to depart Ibrox this summer.
Rohl's Departure Looms
RB Salzburg are escalating talks to lure the German from Glasgow after just eight months in the job. Should he depart, Rangers chairman Andrew Cavenagh and the board will have to move swiftly. They have already been heavily linked with a number of names, including former boss Steven Gerrard and previous frontrunner Kevin Muscat.
McInnes in Demand
Perhaps the most interesting name – at least for what it would do to the Premiership landscape – is Hearts boss McInnes. He took Hearts to within inches of history last season, leading the title race until the dying minutes against Celtic. His stunning debut season in Gorgie has underlined his credentials as a serious contender.
But Hearts won't be in any rush to lose him. The Hearts Standard reports that they will demand a "high six-figure fee" to let him leave should Rangers come in and offer him the top job. The 54-year-old is under contract in Gorgie until 2029, and the Tynecastle side would be understandably reticent to let him leave with a crack at the Champions League on the horizon, particularly to a domestic rival.
Previous Interest
McInnes, when he was still Aberdeen manager in 2017, was previously in talks to replace Pedro Caixinha at Rangers, but those negotiations infamously collapsed, with Graeme Murty given the job until the end of the season. Gerrard was ultimately called upon, and could be again given he's currently out of work and was in talks before the job was handed to Russell Martin last summer.
Gerrard could be forced to abandon a glamorous Liverpool legends appearance in Malaysia should Rangers reopen talks to bring him back to Ibrox.
