Rangers' chairman David Murray must have experienced a sense of irony after he had failed to persuade Danish internationalist Brian Laudrup to remain with Rangers when his contract ends in the summer.

The very positive and determined bid that Murray made was turned down by the player for the same reasons as given to the Scottish champions by the new Chelsea manager, Gianluca Vialli, when he declined to come to Glasgow two years ago.

Last night Laudrup admitted: ''I have always wanted to play in the Premiership and that drew me towards signing for Chelsea.''

That was the same explanation offered by Vialli when Rangers tried to sign him from Juventus under freedom of contract in the summer of l996. He, too, wanted to play in the Premiership and Rangers suffered because they did not have the kind of high-profile domestic game which could tempt the Italian.

Now they have not been able to secure Laudrup's agreement on another deal and the 29-year-old, who has twice won the Player of the Year award in Scotland during his three-year spell with the Ibrox club, will be with Chelsea from July 1 - the same day as Dick Advocaat takes up his duties as the new Rangers coach.

The Dane will be at Stamford Bridge with a deal which will earn him close to #6m over the next three years.

Laudrup insists: ''I will do all in my power to help Rangers win their tenth successive title. Hopefully, I can finish on a high with Rangers, because I will always have great memories of my time with the club. If the club can set a new title record then that will go some way to repaying the debt I feel that I owe them for the way they have treated me and my family so well. Rangers have given me four wonderful years.

''Walter Smith gave me freedom on the park and off the park and I will always be grateful to him.''

Chelsea general manager Colin Hutchinson, who met Laudrup in Glasgow yesterday to finalise the move, added: ''Brian contacted me last night after we had beaten Arsenal in the Coca-Cola Cup semi-final and told me that he had made up his mind to join us. Naturally, I was delighted, because it will add yet another world-class player to our squad. Our new manager, Gianluca Vialli, also spoke to Brian last night and he is very excited at the thought of having Brian with us next season.

''Now that the deal has been settled, we feel that Brian should be left in peace to concentrate on the important games which lie ahead for Rangers. He has to concentrate all his energies on helping them win their tenth title.''

Laudrup admitted that he had been close to walking away altogether from the major clubs who had chased him over the past few months. He said: ''I was almost ready to go back home and sign for FC Copenhagen. I had the offer to stay with Rangers, but I also had alternatives in Ajax and Paris St Germain, but Chelsea are an ambitious club and they like to entertain the public and that, as well as the Premiership, was most interesting to me.''

The Laudrup years at Ibrox are coming to an end, and make no mistake - Rangers did breathe new life into the Danish player's career, because Smith allowed him the freedom on the field that had been denied him in Italy, where he spent his unhappiest years.

That was the catalyst which saw Laudrup develop into one of the most exciting and potent attackers in world football. Rangers wanted to keep him. Chairman David Murray made strenuous efforts and it has to be remembered that he could have taken a #4m fee from Ajax last summer. Instead, he attempted to persuade Laudrup to remain in Scotland.

The Dane told me last week that the upsets at Chelsea would not affect his decision, that the sacking of Ruud Gullit would not influence him, and that turned out to be the case.

Laudrup was last night tipped to create as big a sensation in England as he did when he first came to Scotland.

Denmark's national manager, Bo Johansson, is delighted the player has made up his mind about his future, as the coach was worried that the uncertainty might affect his World Cup form.

Johansson said: ''I am very happy that Brian now appears to have his future tied up.

''When Brian is at his happiest, he will play good football and I am sure the indecision about where he would be playing has probably got to him over the past few months.

''He is going to one of the best clubs in Europe and, even though he's playing at a higher level, I am sure he will become a huge success, as usual.

''I think he will do extremely well with Chelsea, because there simply aren't many players in the world with his skill.''

He said: ''Brian is still very ambitious and I think playing for Chelsea in a competitive league would probably appeal more than Ajax. There are not as many good teams in Holland as in England, and perhaps he feels he still has something to prove to people.

''If he had decided to stay at Rangers, I would have backed him, because I know he was happy at Ibrox. But he needs a challenge and that's why he has opted for Chelsea.''

In the meantime, Everton are interested in two Ibrox players, right back Alex Cleland, out of contract at the end of the season, and midfielder Ian Ferguson, who returned to the team in the Scottish Cup replay against Motherwell on Tuesday night, which was watched by the Goodison Park manager Howard Kendall.

Another player leaving Ibrox is utility man Gary Bollan, who is joining St Johnstone in a #125,000 transfer deal.

Laudrup factfile

1969: Born February 22, Vienna.

1986: Makes debut for Danish side Brondby, aged 17.

1989: Sold to German side Bayer Uerdingen and was voted the best Danish player of the year for the first of three times.

1990: Joins champions Bayern Munich for record fee in Germany.

1992: Member of Denmark side which wins European Championship in Sweden. Signs for Italy's Fiorentina but team are relegated.

1993: Moves to AC Milan but makes just nine appearances.

1994: Joins Rangers from Fiorentina for #2.2m. In first season wins first of three successive championship medals and becomes the first foreign player to get Scottish Player of the Year award.

1996: Scores three goals in Euro96 and wins Scottish Cup medal.

1997: Scottish League Cup winner.

1998: Agrees to join Chelsea on three-year contract, under the Bosman ruling, after the end of the Scottish season.