Rangers face a significant financial hurdle if they want to appoint Hearts manager Derek McInnes as their next permanent boss.
Reports from the Hearts Standard indicate that the Edinburgh club will demand a high six-figure fee before allowing McInnes to leave Tynecastle for Ibrox.
The 54-year-old is contracted at Hearts until 2029, giving the club significant leverage in any potential negotiations with their domestic rivals.
McInnes earned widespread admiration last season after guiding Hearts to the brink of a historic title, with the club leading the race until the final minutes against Celtic.
That remarkable debut campaign in Gorgie has firmly established McInnes as one of the most sought-after managers in Scottish football.
Rangers are being forced into the market because Danny Rohl looks increasingly likely to depart Ibrox, with RB Salzburg escalating talks to sign the German just eight months into his tenure.
Should Rohl leave, Andrew Cavenagh and the Rangers board will need to move quickly to identify and secure a credible replacement before pre-season begins.
Several names are in the frame, including former Rangers boss Steven Gerrard, who is currently out of work and was previously in talks before the job went to Russell Martin last summer.
Gerrard could reportedly be forced to abandon a scheduled appearance at a Liverpool legends event in Malaysia if Rangers reopen discussions to bring him back to Ibrox.
Kevin Muscat, a previous frontrunner for the position, also remains in the picture as the club weighs its options carefully.
McInnes himself has a complicated history with Rangers, having been in talks to replace Pedro Caixinha back in 2017 when he was Aberdeen manager, only for those negotiations to fall apart and Graeme Murty being handed the role temporarily.
Hearts would be particularly reluctant to lose their manager given the club has a potential Champions League campaign on the horizon, making any negotiations with Rangers even more difficult.
The prospect of McInnes moving to a direct domestic rival makes the situation all the more sensitive for both clubs and for the broader Premiership landscape.
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