Guillem Balague sends next Rangers manager update on Davide Ancelotti amid claims talks have 'broken down'

Guillem Balague has provided his latest intel on the next Rangers manager situation regarding Davide Ancelotti - as reports abroad suggest talks have faltered.

The Italian, son of legendary boss Carlo, has been heavily linked as Philippe Clement’s permanent Ibrox successor. Talk in recent days though has shifted towards ex Southampton manager and Rangers loanee Russell Martin moving into pole position, with Ancelotti links hitting the buffers.

Spanish football expert and broadcaster Balague has been across the Ancelotti situation since the father and son combo left Real Madrid, the latter assisting his dad at Los Blancos, Everton and more. He has refused to rule out Ancelotti as an option and says a decision will be made this week.

Davide Ancelotti to Rangers update

Balague tweeted on X: “Rangers have to decide between Russell Martin and Davide Ancelotti. They both like very much the idea. That is the latest I am hearing. Logically the decision should be soon, it would make sense that it takes not longer than the end of the week.”

It comes as respected Spanish source Marca claims that Ancelotti’s talks with Rangers have broken down amid a game of managerial dominoes. Simone Inzaghi moving from Inter Milan to Al Hilal could see the San Siro side try to pluck Cesc Fabregas from Como, who would then turn to the Rangers manager contender. The report claims: “Como's owners want to keep Cesc at all costs on the bench of the team that has been the revelation of the season, but they also know they can't close the door on the Spanish coach's competitive progress.

“The possibility is on the table, and if Inzaghi ultimately decides to accept Al Hilal's proposal, Cesc has a good chance of changing positions and becoming Inter's top manager. The move would have to be completed with a new coach for Como, and Davide Ancelotti appears to be the figure. With negotiations with Glasgow Rangers broken down , the club's management is waiting to see what happens with Cesc before deciding which path to take.

“MARCA has already reported that this was also one of the options being considered by Como's management in the event of the former Barcelona player's departure. It's true that the former Real Madrid assistant manager has met with the Glasgow Rangers directors, but now everything seems to have changed and his future could lie in Italy, managing the glamorous Como. One of the teams that has also insisted on David Ancelotti is Deportivo.

Guillem Balague on next Rangers manager

Speaking on Sportsound at the weekend, Balague said: “I'm pretty convinced that he has everything he requires to jump into the big stage on his own and do something impressive. If it's by the words of Real Madrid players and players that he's had, some of which have told him, ‘take me to Rangers,’ then you think, well, wages may just be a little bit of a problem here.

“He's determined now to find a club that can take advantage, in his eyes, of the experience that he's got. Yes, as a number two, but he's ready to take decisions he feels. The reports you get from players and people that work with him is really positive. He's not Carlo Ancelotti. He's a method coach, one that wants to bring, wherever he goes, coaches that are specialists in the mould of modern clubs like Aston Villa for instance.

“Everyone will have a role to do, and he's happy to manage all that. Something he's very big on, and that was one of the things that impressed the decision-makers at Rangers when they met in London, is that he wants to put an imprint on the club that survives his stay at the club. Pushing Rangers into the forefront of football, that's the idea. On the back of what was the first conversations with his representatives, and then eventually with him, it became clear that there was a synergy there.”