How £400,000 payment could lead to long-term James Penrice transfer at Rangers

James Penrice has already become an early hero at Rangers.

Arriving at a time of real need for Derek McInnes, the left-back has helped transform fortunes massively at Ibrox.

Signed on an initial loan from AEK Athens, Penrice scored and assisted on his debut against St Mirren.

And after his role in the demolition of Celtic on Sunday, he'll look to do the same at Parkhead on Sunday afternoon.

McInnes knows Penrice from his time at Hearts, but they never actually got to work together too long.

Now, it looks a certainty that he'll be sticking around at Ibrox.

Figures revealed behind James Penrice transfer

It was recently shared that Rangers had agreed a "ridiculously low" fee to sign Penrice permanently.

At the time, the fee wasn't revealed exactly, other than being six-figures.

The Daily Record has gone a step further from their original update, stating that it will only cost the Bears £800,000.

Reporting in its print edition on Thursday, it's expected that will be triggered and a long-term contract will be signed.

So far, the American owners have only paid £400,000 to get a loan deal over the line, and they're reaping the rewards already.

Rangers could sign off on Penrice transfer now

Even with the likes of Celtic also interested, he only wanted Ibrox.

That's enough to win us all over, and if he plays a part in another Old Firm victory on Sunday, just send AEK the money now.

Tuur Rommens being injured was a huge early blow, but now he's a somewhat forgotten figure, that's how well Penrice has done.

McInnes may have taken his time, but he has found his preferred system and players now, and they're paying him back.

With five consecutive wins, the ultimate test is going to their back garden and leaving victorious.

It's happened quite frequently in recent years, so there's no reason why it can't happen again in the Scottish Premiership.

Sending that gap back down to two points ahead of the international break would be another huge psycological win.

Whatever happens, Penrice will be key to the outcome.