Scottish Premiership side Rangers have made an official approach for Queens Park Rangers boss Mick Beale, according to this afternoon's Twitter update from journalist John Percy.

The 42-year-old has been heavily linked with the top job at Ibrox since Giovanni van Bronckhorst's dismissal earlier this week - and talks are now believed to be ongoing with Beale being labelled as the Gers' definite number one choice at this stage.

Beale previously spent time at the Scottish Premiership side alongside Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard, with the duo guiding them to the league title in what was seen as a major achievement following years of Celtic dominance.

Although Beale decided to move on from Glasgow last year, opting to join Gerrard at Aston Villa, the Gers' admiration of the 42-year-old remains and there were even reports as early as last month that they were interested in bringing him in as a potential successor for van Bronckhorst.

He returned to Ibrox recently to watch his former side in action - and that only increased speculation about a potential return despite the fact Beale remained loyal to his current side last month as he rejected an approach from Wolverhampton Wanderers.

However, he is now edging closer to a switch with QPR's boss believed to be firmly interested in taking the top job.

The Verdict:

This time, it looks like Beale may be on his way out and that's a shame for QPR because they looked reasonably good under the 42-year-old for the most part despite their recent poor form.

The club can probably exhale when he does depart though - because he has been linked with an exit from Loftus Road for a decent chunk of his tenure now and that has been a distraction from what is a very decent project in the English capital.

Following a reasonably successful time off the pitch in recent years, with Mark Warburton helping to get the club back into shape, they have a huge amount of potential with or without Beale.

The ex-Villa coach seemed like a decent fit and during the early stages of his tenure, it seemed like a match made in heaven, but it probably wasn't meant to be in the end and Les Ferdinand will have a big job on his hands as he looks to bring in a new manager.

It will be interesting to see who they go for next. Perhaps a young, progressive coach like Beale could be a good replacement, though there's always a risk when someone inexperienced is appointed.