THE Old Firm could be given fresh hope of a move to the Premiership at a meeting of their top flight clubs in a fortnight.

Bolton chairman Phil Gartside will present a plan to take Celtic and Rangers south to a meeting of the Premier League clubs on November 12.

Gartside wants an 18-team top flight with a 20-team Premiership 2.

That is the division in which the Old Firm would play. There is believed to be support from Championship clubs for them to move.

Gartside hopes he will get major support at Premier League clubs for the scheme.

Sky TV chiefs see the benefits of bringing the big two to England when the new TV contracts are thrashed out in 2014.

Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore dismissed the notion this week, but he is an employee of the English Premiership and has little say.

Rangers and Celtic would give up rights to European football if they quit to play in England initially, in their bid to fight their way into the Premiership.

But they would be guaranteed £20m from the TV pot each season.

The big two make around just £2m from their Sky/ESPN TV deal.

Current TV contracts on both sides of the border expire in 2014, and it's believed new contracts won't be agreed until the future of the Old Firm is sorted. Stories in today's English papers... Liverpool want £16.5m Valencia winger Juan Mata. Keeper Pepe Reina offered £95,000-a-week five year contract at Anfeld. Man United tracking David Villa after the Spanish striker sacked agent for failing to secure a summer move. Portsmouth banned from signing players until they pay money owed to Arsenal and Chelsea for the signings of Lassana Diarra and Glen Johnson.