Aberdeen reject Rangers' McInnes approach
Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes lost twice to Rangers last week
Aberdeen have denied Rangers permission to open talks with Derek McInnes about their managerial vacancy after the Ibrox club made a formal approach.
The 46-year-old is contracted to Aberdeen until 2020, but has a release clause that allows clubs to speak to him if a set compensation fee is met.
It is six weeks since Rangers sacked Pedro Caixinha and McInnes has emerged as their preferred candidate.
Aberdeen, though, are standing firm to the terms of his contract.
"Aberdeen Football Club has announced this evening that Rangers have contacted the club asking for permission to speak to Derek McInnes and that permission has been refused" said the Pittodrie club in a statement.
McInnes said on Sunday after losing to the Ibrox side for the second time in five days that media speculation consistently linking him with the Ibrox post had become an irritation.
"It's certainly not been encouraged by anyone here - I've not been happy with how things have played out," he said.
He spent five years as a player at Ibrox, three of them alongside Ally McCoist, who says his former team-mate is the right manager for the Ibrox club to turn to.
Derek McInnes and Ally McCoist were team-mates at Ibrox between 1995 and 1998
"It's possibly the right time for Derek and certainly the right time for Rangers to appoint Derek," McCoist told BBC Radio Five Live. "He's the majority of fans' choice."
"The whole thing has taken too much time for the Rangers supporters and we've had the bizarre situation where Derek has been quizzed at his last two press conferences ahead of the last two games against Rangers when in fact Rangers have beaten them," McCoist said. "It's had a strange twist and an unreal feeling about it.
"He's done exceptionally well at Aberdeen. Can he take Aberdeen any further? There's a question mark about that. He's got a wonderful relationship with [Pittodrie chairman] Stewart Milne and the board up at Aberdeen."
Sunderland agreed compensation with Aberdeen for McInnes during the summer but the former St Johnstone and Bristol City manager chose to stay at Pittodrie.
Source: bbc.com
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