ALEX McLeish last night confirmed that the Monaco striker, Dado Prso, would be flying into Scotland over the weekend for signing talks with the Ibrox club.
Whether he will attend today's Old Firm encounter at Parkhead remains to be seen, but the Rangers manager sounded hopeful yesterday that he would manage to convince the Croatian internationalist to move to Scotland, despite interest from AC Milan, Bolton Wanderers and Besiktas.
Reports in Italy have claimed that Milan have all but agreed a deal with him, and the media in Turkey have suggested that Besiktas are favourites for his signature after offering a (pounds) 1.3m annual contract.
In the coming weeks, Prso will play in the Champions League final and Euro 2004, so the 29-year-old may bide his time and gamble on being offered a better deal. McLeish hopes the striker isn't playing clubs off against each other, and is keen to sign a player he has tracked since November.
He has had Prso watched five times, has spoken to him on the telephone twice and will meet him at Murray Park over the weekend.
''He is coming to talk to us and that is about all I can say,'' said McLeish yesterday. ''It is not a done deal and I gather there is other interest.
''We have been pro-active and I have spoken to him, but not face to face. We need two strikers and he [Prso] is a direct centre-forward who has scored 23 goals this season. He has decent credentials and is a handful on the pitch. We don't have him yet, so maybe I'm being a bit presumptuous by talking about him.''
When Prso first arrived at Monaco, Thierry Henry and David Trezeguet were at the club so, not surprisingly, he struggled to get a first-team place. But he has grown in stature over the past few years and has been a key man in the club's excellent season.
Prso is believed to be looking for a three-year deal and wages in excess of (pounds) 25,000 a week, though he would cost nothing as he is out of contract.
Part of a Rangers deal will be offset by the money saved from allowing players like Frank and Ronald de Boer to leave the club, along with other big earners, including Michael Mols.
Mikel Arteta is another who looks certain to leave, as the Spaniard yesterday refused to comment when asked whether he would be in Scotland next season. A move back to Spain next season is the most likely port of call for the midfielder.
Forty years ago, Rangers beat Celtic in all five Old Firm matches but since then, despite superiority swinging from club to club, such a feat has never been repeated. However, that could all change today if Celtic clock up their fifth win of the season over the Ibrox outfit.
It is a scenario that McLeish is keen to avoid. ''We have an inexperienced squad going to Parkhead, but maybe they will play with no inhibitions,'' said McLeish. ''We may not be favourites, but the lads should savour every minute of this. It is up to the experienced ones to play out of their skins.
''We don't want to go to the end of the season with Celtic winning every game. It is the weakest squad I have taken to play Celtic, but that does not mean we cannot get a result. It will be a fresh start for some of the new, young players who have not been party to the defeats earlier in the season. They are just starting their Rangers careers and want to do well against their rivals.''
Meanwhile, McLeish did his best to play down comments from the club captain, Craig Moore, who claimed he may leave Ibrox if their ambition didn't match his, and quality players were not brought in.
The Rangers coach said the Australian internationalist was no different to anybody else and would have to fight for his place. He said Moore should be ''looking over his shoulder'' to ensure he was playing well enough to ensure he was holding down a first-team place.
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