Alan Gow is almost certain to return to Rangers next month as Blackpool stall over signing him permanently for £250,000.
The forward's loan deal expires on January 1, which is also the deadline for securing the pre-arranged deal that had been struck between the clubs when he moved south in the summer.
Gow has dropped out of the Blackpool starting line-up in recent weeks at the expense of another loan acquisition, Liam Dickinson. He still believes he has unfinished business at Ibrox, where he made only two appearances since his Bosman move from Falkirk, and his hankering for a second chance is understood to have affected his focus at Bloomfield Road.
Simon Grayson, the Blackpool manager, is a fan of Gow's elegant style, but has adopted a more robust approach by using Dickinson, who signed on a short-term deal from Derby County, as a target man to elevate the club from 16th place in the Coca-Cola Championship.
Walter Smith, the Rangers manager, has told Gow he has no future at the club, but the lifelong fan refuses to accept his fate. He has watched a cast of players fail to impress on the left side of Rangers' midfield and is desperate for a last chance to make an impression. Charlie Adam and Chris Burke are expected to leave in January, while the club will also listen to offers for Lee McCulloch and DaMarcus Beasley.
Kyle Lafferty has scored in his last two substitute appearances, but the £3.4m signing from Burnley has expressed his long-term preference to be used in a more central role.
Gow's pleas are likely to fall on deaf ears, but if Rangers remove the bulk of their squad surplus, he may step up the pecking order by default. He played in a 4-0 win against East Fife in the CIS Cup and a 6-0 defeat of East Stirlingshire in the Scottish Cup, but endured a staple diet of reserve-team football, despite being on the verge of an international call-up in his final season at Falkirk.
Meanwhile, Rangers will face competition from Fulham if they try to sign former Ibrox favourite Peter Lovenkrands.
The Danish forward is out of favour at Schalke 04, and wants to move next month to improve his hopes of going to the World Cup in South Africa in 2010. He said: "I have to leave the club to have a chance of being included in the national team. I see no reason to stay if I do not play. I am looking for a new club."
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