Rangers are pressing ahead with plans to sell Alan Hutton to Tottenham Hotspur for £8 million, despite public noises to the contrary from Ibrox, and in spite of the player’s initial reluctance to leave Glasgow for White Hart Lane and the Barclays Premier League.

Sir David Murray met Hutton yesterday morning in Edinburgh and the Rangers chairman is understood to have made it plain to the Scotland defender that the Tottenham offer made good sense for both clubs and the player.

There has been exaggerated talk of what Hutton will be paid in terms of wages by Spurs, though he can still expect to earn almost double what he is currently on at Ibrox - believed to be around £10-12,000 - if the deal goes through. Rangers have asked the 23-year-old to rethink his initial rejection of the move, and the player is now reconsidering his position.

Hutton could be a Tottenham player by the end of this week, with Rangers even ready to offer the player a financial inducement to go as part of the transaction. The Ibrox club are happy for Hutton to leave because they feel that an offer of £8 million – with the possibility of a Tottenham player, maybe Wayne Routledge, being thrown into the deal – is too good to turn down. Moreover, in Steven Whittaker, a natural right back, Rangers also have an able player – and, arguably, a better defender – ready to fill Hutton’s position.

Hutton is now suspended for two matches, starting tonight in Rangers’ rearranged Clydesdale Bank Premier League clash against St Mirren at Love Street.

Asked about the Hutton situation yesterday, Walter Smith, the Rangers manager, was forced to choose his words carefully. “Alan’s initial indication to us was that he has turned [Spurs] down, that he wants to stay here,” Smith said. “So that’s where we are right now.

“When you look at clubs at the present moment, there is the financial aspect and the football aspect to consider. Everybody knows the Rangers financial position isn’t what it was a few years ago, but no one at the club wanted to lose Alan. From a football perspective, nobody wanted him to go.

“But when you get offered that type of money, then you are in a situation where, from a financial point of view, it is acceptable. As I say, nobody wants to lose Alan from a football perspective - and I include the chairman in that – but sometimes the financial part can overtake everything. That’s the reason why the offer was acceptable as a bid. In the meantime, though, we are delighted if Alan has decided to stay.”

Smith, nonetheless, is in an awkward position in terms of the Hutton saga. The Rangers manager would receive quite a hefty chunk of the Tottenham fee for his own recruitment purposes during the January transfer window, with Rangers suddenly being able to spend an extra £3 or £4 million over the next 23 days of business.

By his own admission, Smith wants to improve his squad. “If we can find a player whom we feel is better than those we have at the present moment, then we will endeavour to go for him,” Smith said. “In fact, we’ve already gone for one or two players and been knocked back, so we are interested in improving the team. But I’m not going to sign a player just for the sake of it.

“If we had positions where I felt we were weaker, then obviously I’d take a player to try to help us. But I feel that we have a fairly big squad of players, and if we can’t get anyone of better quality in, then we won’t sign anyone.”

Meanwhile, Smith said that Stevie Smith, Rangers’ highly regarded left back who has been out of football for a year with a pelvic injury, is now back in full training and ready to return to the team. “He’s had a tough time of it but is doing very well and is now back to full training,” the Rangers manager said. “I certainly hope we can see Stevie back in action by the end of this month.”