Thursday 7 January 2016 07:56, UK
Rangers could be set to land Accrington Stanley duo Josh Windass and Matt Crooks six months early with a £400,000 double swoop.
The pair are due to undergo medicals on Wednesday after agreeing personal terms at Ibrox.
According to Sky sources, the players, who are out of contract at the end of the season, have agreed three-and-a-half year deals with the Scottish Championship leaders.
They were set to sign pre-contracts with a view to moving to Glasgow in the summer but manager Mark Warburton is keen to see the pair join up with his squad immediately as the Gers look to push ahead in the promotion race.
Accrington's majority shareholder Andy Holt had previously revealed on Twitter that Rangers had opened talks with the players, who both turn 22 this month.
The pair would be subject to compensation fees and Windass, the son of former Hull City and Aberdeen forward Dean, has rejected a new contract offer from Accrington.
However, Rangers hope an increased fee will persuade the Sky Bet League Two side to release the players early, otherwise they will wait until their current deals expire.
Holt is furious his club are in danger of missing out on a potentially lucrative windfall, with cross-border compensation levels a fraction of the fees due between clubs in the same country, and he faces losing both players for a compensation sum of around just £30,000 each should they move in the summer.
He told the Lancashire Telegraph: "It's ridiculous. We could lose them for free and Rangers could resell them and take any profit. They could sell them back to England if they wanted to.
"Because they're getting them for free they can offer wages other teams can't offer. It's not about the lads' rights to earn a living, I respect that and I like them. It's about what's right and what's wrong.
"They've come a long way at this club, since they've been at Accrington it's transformed them. I don't like the way the rules are set out.
"I don't like the way Rangers have gone about this, not picking the phone up to [Accrington manager] John Coleman. It's not illegal but it's not the way it should be done."
