RANGERS will today negotiate the signing of Jose-Karl Pierre-Fanfan, the Paris SaintGermain central defender, from under the nose of their Old Firm rivals, Celtic.

That will add to the frustration experienced by the Parkhead club in the transfer market yesterday, when they saw negotiations stall over a pounds-2m deal for Maciej Zurawski and their chances of landing Craig Bellamy from Newcastle United recede.

Martin Bain, the Rangers chief executive, will meet PierreFanfan and his agent in the French capital this afternoon to finalise the details of a three-year contract.

The 29-year-old signed a similar deal with PSG last season but a loophole in the contract has enabled Rangers to sign him for free. PSG had initially wanted pounds-2.5m for him.

The Herald understands Gordon Strachan was offered the player weeks before Rangers for around pounds-800,000 but Peter Lawwell, the Celtic chief executive, was unable to commit, having been locked in negotiations with Zurawski, while finalising the year-long loan of Jeremie Aliadiere.

Pierre-Fanfan's representatives grew tired of Celtic's procrastination and informed Rangers of the player's availability via fax. It is the first psychological blow struck by Alex McLeish against Strachan, his former Aberdeen team-mate and now Old Firm adversary.

Pierre-Fanfan has a rich reputation in the French first division and had also attracted interest from West Ham United and Portsmouth.

Since no fee will be attached, the player will benefit from a considerable hike in wages at Ibrox, to about pounds-20,000 per week.

He may yet form a defensive partnership with Sotirios Kyrgiakos next season. The Greek has threatened to take Panathinaikos to court to terminate his contract with the club and enable him to sign for anyone else on a Bosman.

Rangers have become increasingly frustrated by the impasse but David Murray, the Rangers chairman, last night reassured supporters that his promise of four new players would be delivered by the beginning of the season.

"I want the fans to know we are working around the clock and travelling throughout Europe to try to sign the players we want, " said Murray. "The targets are of a high quality and we hope to have two within the next 10 days. I told the fans I would get them four players and I intend keeping my promise."

Brahim Hemdani, the former Marseille captain, was the first high-profile capture to arrive on a Bosman, followed swiftly by the arrival of Ian Murray from Hibernian.

Agreement with Pierre-Fanfan has been reached in principle and Kyrgiakos would complete the quartet of bargain acquisitions.

The Pierre-Fanfan deal could even be be completed today which would enable him to undergo a swift medical before joining his new teammates at their pre-season training camp in Toronto.

Pierre-Fanfan is already at an advanced stage of preparation for the French season, having taken part in PSG's preparations in Biarritz.

Born in Saint Pol sur Mer, Pierre-Fanfan first came to prominence at his local side US Dunkerque. His sturdy performances were coveted by Lens and he played a significant part of their surprise championship success in 1998 after signing for pounds-5m. He was a pillar of the team during their surge to the UEFA Cup semifinal in season 1999-2000 and was subsequently signed by AS Monaco in 2001.

Pierre-Fanfan's career in the principality was ruined by a serious knee injury and compounded by ankle and thigh problems.

Unable to secure a regular starting place, he was sent on a season-long loan to PSG two years ago and after making an immediate impact signed a three-year contract last July.

Meanwhile, Wisla Krakow confirmed yesterday that Lawwell had met with Zdzisaw Kapka, the Wisla vice-president, and Grzegorz Mielcarski, their sporting director, for more than three hours. He left Poland, though, without concluding a deal and Wisla have set a deadline of the end of this week for Celtic to agree to their terms.

It is understood that the number of instalments in which the pounds-2m fee would be paid remains a sticking point, while the situation has been further complicated by the emergence of Besiktas as a potential option for Zurawski.

Reports from Turkey, which Wisla have not confirmed, claim the Istanbul club are prepared to outstrip Celtic by offering pounds-2.4m for the striker, with a contract worth pounds-18,000 per week after tax.

"At 11am, negotiations started with Celtic over the transfer of Zurawski, " said Jerzy Jurczynski, a Wisla spokesman, last night. "The discussions lasted a few hours but were then stopped so our club could put forward a detailed financial proposal of what we want from the transfer.

"The Celtic representative said he would have to get agreement from the club's board. He returned to Glasgow and Wisla Krakow are now awaiting their response. Celtic have until the end of the week.We had hoped to complete the transfer today but, unfortunately, it was not possible."

Zurawski last week selected Celtic as his preferred choice ahead of Trabzonspor but the the saga has now dragged on for 14 days since the player visited Parkhead for 10 hours of talks.

Strachan, who has promoted Tommy Burns to first-team coach, may also be facing frustration over Bellamy as Everton are understood to be closing in on a pounds-6m deal to secure the player's services.

Sources on Tyneside claim the Welsh striker held informal talks with David Moyes, the Everton manager, on Sunday night and that further discussions will be held in the next few days.

Newcastle United yesterday gave Bellamy an extra week's leave from pre-season training to avoid a tense reunion with Graeme Souness and they hope that will prove enough time for him to find a new club.

Ulrik Laursen, meanwhile, has become the latest player to leave Celtic after completing a pounds-50,000 move back to Denmark with OB Odense.