McAuley set to sign deal with Light Blues

GARETH McAULEY is poised to become the 15th and final arrival of the summer at Rangers as he gets set to clinch a move to Ibrox.

SportTimes revealed earlier this month that the Northern Irishman was back on Rangers’ radar as boss Gerrard continued his search for defensive back-up.

And now he will follow countryman Kyle Lafferty in signing on the dotted line with the Light Blues following his exit from West Bromwich Albion after they were relegated from the English Premier League last season.

Gerrard rounded off the transfer window by securing switches for stopper Joe Worrall and winger Eros Grezda as they moved from Nottingham Forrest and Osijek respectively.

The 38-year-old confirmed after the Old Firm defeat to Celtic on Sunday that McAuley is on the brink of putting pen-to-paper at Ibrox.

He said: “I hope that’s going to be the case. There is no major rush, he’s been called up by Northern Ireland, so we won’t see him for a couple of weeks. That will be the last deal.”

The move is likely to be confirmed on Monday once McAuley has undergone a medical and the defender will then join up with Northern Ireland squad for their matches with Bosnia and Israel in the coming days.

The 39-year-old is believed to have agreed terms with Ipswich Town late last week but has opted to sign for the club he supported as a boy after Rangers made their approach.

McAuley, who has won 79 caps for his country, had also been of interest to Hearts, Aberdeen, Wigan Athletic and clubs in Major League Soccer and in Europe.