Chukwane closes in on a Rangers deal and Gillespie prepares for the CEO position

Gillespie, 47, has been closely linked to the Ibrox CEO role since Patrick Stewart left in November.

As well as being an influential force at St Mirren, Gillespie is chief executive of children’s charity The Kibble.

A Rangers fan, he was linked with the role when James Bisgrove left Rangers to move to Saudi Arabia ahead of the 2024-25 season. Gillespie spoke to then-chairman John Bennett about a move to Ibrox, but the switch did not materialise.

He said at the time: “Rangers is a huge organisation, a great organisation, and in the end you have those conversations, but I have a great job at Cable.

“It’s more rewarding than just financially to make a difference for the kids I work with every day, or the staff I rely on.

“This is something special – and obviously I’m now firmly integrated into St Mirren. Whether it’s Rangers or other clubs, you have to listen.”

It is believed that Rangers boss Cavenagh was always keen to land someone with experience of Scottish football, but he also threw the net wider than just local rivals.

Cavenagh was recently asked why the club was not pursuing a big-name executive from a big club, someone with a bit of magic.

Stewart came to Rangers via Manchester United where he had an interim spell as CEO during an 18-month spell at the club in various board roles.

It is understood that Cavenagh does not believe Rangers need someone with a high profile personality, just someone with clear competence to implement the plan as set out by the union that owns the club.