John Fleck and Danny Wilson are on the verge of agreeing new deals with Rangers. The young duo, both 18, had stalled on original offers to extend their current contracts, which expire at the end of the 2010/11 season.

Fleck and Wilson are regarded as two of Scottish football’s most promising young players and came through the youth ranks at Murray Park. They turned down the opportunity to sign improved terms in January, with it looking likely they would sign for clubs in the English Premier League.

Wilson in particular has attracted interest from Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United as he has made the breakthrough at Ibrox and both were believed to be lining up an offer to add the Livingston-born defender to an ever-growing contingent of young Scots down south.

That interest now looks to be on the back burner with Rangers poised to tie down their prospects for a further three years. Contract talks are still ongoing but it is understood that both will commit themselves to remaining with the SPL leaders until they are 21.

Their manager, Walter Smith, had appeared resigned to losing the pair to England when they rejected new terms at the start of the year and blamed their agents for allegedly turning their heads with promises of the riches on offer down south.

"While it's disappointing for Rangers, especially as they've both come through the youth ranks, it's something we'll just need to accept,” Smith said in January. "The situation we're placed in with agents means the boys aren't actually handling any aspect of it. It's other people who are doing that as much as younger players themselves.”

"That's the most disappointing factor of all this, especially when younger boys are obviously going to get far more first team opportunities now.

“It's disappointing we've had a couple come through the ranks, who are going to be decent players, but it looks as though they see their future lying elsewhere. It certainly doesn't look like they will be signing new deals now."

Fleck, a left footed attacking player, made his Rangers debut in 2008 at the age of 16 in a Scottish Cup match against East Stirlingshire. He went on to play in that season’s Scottish Cup final and also made his league debut before his 17th birthday.

This campaign he has featured 21 times, scoring in the League Cup win over Dundee and in a home SPL win against Falkirk.

Wilson made his Rangers debut in the same game Fleck scored in at Dens Park in October and has proved an able deputy in the middle of defence in the absence of Madjid Bougherra.