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MARK WARBURTON flew out of Glasgow airport this afternoon to hold signing talks with former England international Joleon Lescott.

Record Sport understands the pair will hold talks down south this afternoon as Warburton attempts to convince the 34-year-old to kick-start his career at Rangers after being relegated from the Premier League with Aston Villa amid a storm of controversy.

The talks come as Preston's Joe Garner was travelling in the opposite direction after manager Simon Grayson backed down from his decision to force the striker to lead his side's attack against Derby tonight.

Garner is now expected to undergo a medical and complete a £1.8m move this afternoon.

But Warburton won't be at the club's training complex to welcome his big money arrival.

Instead, the Englishman will be back across the border conducting a face-to-face with Lescott who has been told he can leave Villa on a free transfer after a stormy end to last season's disastrous top flight campaign.

Lescott infuriated Villa's long suffering support by tweeting a photo of his luxury supercar just moments after playing in a 6-0 defeat against Liverpool. He was then ridiculed for insisting the pic was posted by accident from the mobile phone in his trouser pocket.

(Image: 2013 Getty Images)

He later compounded this and sealed his own fate at Villa Park by describing the club's relegation as a 'weight off the shoulders'.

Lescott is thought to have a number of possible alternative destinations in England but Warburton has flown down there in person this afternoon in hope of persuading the defender to rebuild his reputation in Scotland.

Former Arsenal defender Phillippe Senderos - who began a week long trial at Auchenhowie yesterday - is believed to be one of Warburton's possible back-up plans should he fail to succeed in talking Lescott into moving north.