Rumour reel: Alves to Rangers

Star defender to kick-start Rangers revolution

Football fans saw the domestic season draw to a close on Monday afternoon with the final of the Championship play-off – Huddersfield beating Reading to earn their place in next season’s Premier League fixture list.

There will be no summer rest for managers or agents however, as teams press ahead with their recruitment drive, looking to get in early and beat the rush. There’s few in the game quite as busy as football journalists, with scribes working overtime to bring you the latest transfer news. We look at who’s going where.

Eagles to swoop on Roy

Shock of the post-season so far came at Selhurst Park, where Sam Allardyce announced he was stepping down from his position as manager of Crystal Palace, and unlikely to be back involved in football. Big Sam had done a wonderful job helping the Londoners beat relegation, but all was not as it seemed. Now another former England boss in Roy Hodgson has thrown his hat in the ring as a long-term replacement. It is believed 69-year-old Roy wants the job, and would hand in a CV boasting experience at Inter Milan, Fulham and Liverpool, as well as The Three Lions.

Summer clear-out at Ibrox

Rangers manager Pedro Caixinha has begun the rebuilding job in Govan, with Portuguese star Bruno Alves on his way to the club. The Euro 2016 winner would be a marquee signing for The Bears, as the board look to splash the cash needed to close the gap on this season’s runaway champions Celtic. Experienced Alves only has a year left on his contract at Serie A side Cagliari, so will cost little in terms of a transfer fee, but that’s sure to be bumped up in wage demands. Fans will be hoping the capture of Alves will be a sign of things to come.