Beale deal turning cold as Daily Record flag up other candidates

After two days of Beale-mania the Daily Record are stepping back from the coronation of the next Ibrox manager.

Late on Wednesday there were reports that QPR would be asked for permission to speak to their manager who was a Directors Box guest at Ibrox for last month’s win over Aberdeen.

It would be hard to imagine that contact hadn’t been made with Beale to judge his level of interest but there is a hint of frostiness as the Record assesses the situation more than three days after Giovanni van Bronckhorst was sacked:

Rangers are still locked in talks with other candidates even though Michael Beale remains the frontrunner to become the club’s 18th manager. Ibrox chiefs had half-a-dozen names on their list at the start of the week and have been whittling them down as they search for Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s replacement.

Queens Park Rangers boss Beale remains very much in the mix and is believed to be the Ibrox giant’s top choice. Managing director Stewart Robertson and sporting director Ross Wilson are among a number of key Rangers staff who have been in London this week talking to candidates and trying to move the process forward.

It was reported yesterday QPR believe they are about to lose Beale and they are just waiting for an official approach from Rangers. There was a similar vibe when Wolves made an approach for the Londoner but in the end he turned the English Premier League side down to remain at Loftus Road.

Beale, however, has nothing to decide, as it stands, as he has still to be offered the Ibrox job or been officially approached. If, as expected, it gets to that stage then Rangers would still have several hurdles to overcome.

They would need to meet Beale’s financial demands and give him the financial backing he feels he would require to revitalise the Rangers squad. If the Ibrox club do make an approach then the likelihood is they would be confident they can lure Beale back north.

Other candidates are likely to be much closer to home with one 25 miles along the M8 and the other in place on Gorgie Road.

The Ibrox squad is expected to return to training on Monday giving them two and a half weeks to prepare for the SPFL clash at home to Hibs.