Danny Rohl on brink of Rangers exit to RB Salzburg as Hearts 'receive Derek McInnes approach'

RB Salzburg opened talks with Rangers earlier this week seeking permission to speak the Ibrox club’s head coach and after two days of intense negotiations, the Austrian club are very close to meeting the Premiership outfit’s valuation of Rohl.

Reports in Germany claim that only “final” details need to be ironed out. The Scotsman understands that Rangers would pocket a seven-figure sum for Rohl, who is contracted to them until the summer of 2028.

In a fast-moving situation, Rangers have already identified McInnes as they man they want to succeed Rohl and have made contact with their Tynecastle counterparts. The Edinburgh Evening News is reporting that communication has begun and a compensation fee in the region of £700,000 would be required.

Rohl joined Rangers last October to replace Russell Martin as head coach. He steered the team back into the Premiership title race before falling away after the split. Despite finishing third in the table, chairman Andrew Cavenagh publicly backed the 37-year-old last month and was fully behind the German taking charge of first-team affairs for the 2026/27 campaign.

However, the lure of RB Salzburg and moving closer to his family back in Germany is strong for Rohl, who is not said to have agitated for a departure.

Since being made aware of RB Salzburg’s interest in Rohl, Rangers have drew up a shortlist of potential candidates to replace him - and Hearts manager Derek McInnes sits top of it.

McInnes split the Old Firm last season with the Jambos and came within a few minutes of pipping Celtic to the title. The 54-year-old has many admirers within the Ibrox hierarchy and with a desire to instil a Scottish core at the club, McInnes ticks many boxes.

Appointed last summer from Kilmarnock, McInnes agreed a four-year deal with Hearts. He is currently in Boston to take in the Scotland v Haiti World Cup match and was pictured at a party on Friday night with Tynecastle chief executive Andrew McKinlay. Cavenagh is also in Boston and watched Scotland train ahead of their Group C opener.

Rangers have already raided Hearts this summer, landing their captain and Scotland striker Lawrence Shankland after activating a break clause in his contract. The Tynecastle outfit are now braced for another exit across the M8 and will now activate their own succession plans with the assistance of Jamestown Analytics.

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