Dom McKay is set for an early switch to Celtic.
Originally it was planned that he would leave the SRU on June 30 but with the Six Nations tournament completed there seems little reason for him to delay his move.
Last week it was reported that he had held face to face talks with Eddie Howe and Dermot Desmond which would make his earlier move seem more logical- and increase speculation that a new manager is about to be unveiled.
In the Daily Record Keith Jackson reveals:
Celtic’s massive rebuild looks set to begin this week – with new chief executive Dominic McKay set to start the job three months ahead of schedule.
Record Sport understands McKay is on the brink of standing down from his position as chief operating officer of the SRU in order to speed up his appointment as Peter Lawwell’s Parkhead successor.
And an official announcement of McKay’s decision could even be made as early as Tuesday morning, when the Stock Exchange reopens for business after the Easter bank holiday.
McKay was originally expected to begin his new post on July 1, when Lawwell will step away from the club after 17 years in charge. But with major structural changes needed McKay has chosen to act urgently and to personally oversee the process.
During 2020 Peter Lawwell only gave one newspaper interview, which was to the Daily Record in June about the prospect of Celtic Park hosting a test event before the SPFL season kicked off.
Celtic were working closely with the SRU to get the protocols in place but although Murrayfield got to host one test event there hasn’t been a fan inside Celtic Park in over a year.
McKay’s arrival could mean an early exit for Lawwell after 17 years ruling the roost although he could stay on board to assist the handover to McKay.