ENGLISH National League outfit Chesterfield are plotting a move for Rangers forward Josh McPake before the end of the January transfer window.
The Spireites currently sit third in the standings but are ten points adrift of second placed Notts County as Wrexham lead the way for the Vanarama title this term.
Boss Paul Cook has identified McPake as the man to give their promotion push another boost in the second half of the campaign as he attempts to secure a play-off spot in the coming months.
And Rangers won't stand in the 21-year-old's way as they look to offload McPake as part of the remodelling of the squad under new boss Michael Beale that has already seen midfielder Charlie McCann head for the exit door and secure a switch to Forest Green Rovers.
McPake was tipped for a bright future at Ibrox when he emerged through the Auchenhowie youth ranks as a talented teenager and he made several loan moves in an attempt to gain vital first team experience.
READ MORE: Inside the incredible Ibrox archive of Rangers fan Stephen Millar
Spells at Dundee, Morton and Harrogate Town were followed by a new three-year deal in 2021 and he has since spent time with Morecambe and Tranmere Rovers after finding his route to Ibrox blocked in recent campaigns.
McPake has enjoyed a productive stint in the Championship with Queen's Park this term and four goals in 22 appearances have helped put the Spiders in the driving seat to clinch a place in the Premiership next season.
A return south of the border could now be on the cards, though, as Chesterfield eye a deal for the former Scotland youth international that would bring a permanent end to McPake's association with Rangers.
READ MORE: James Tavernier's Rangers transfers call and Michael Beale prediction
The striker made his Ibrox debut under Steven Gerrard as he came off the bench during the Europa League qualifying victory over St Joseph's in 2019 but failed to hold down a regular squad berth as his dreams of becoming a first team star gradually faded.
Rangers are keen to move McPake on before the close of business if they can and Derbyshire could be his next destination in the game if Chesterfield can strike a deal to add the youngster to Cook's squad in the coming days.
Why are you making commenting on HeraldScotland only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here