Palace have sensationally agreed a fee of £3m for Rangers and England star Paul Gascoigne.

The two clubs settled on the deal late yesterday afternoon and Gascoigne will be coming down for talks with Mark Goldberg early next week.

The amount could rise further depending on appearances.

But the first stage of Mark Goldberg's promised Palace revolution will have to wait at least another week after former England supremo Terry Venables yesterday delayed his decision to join the Eagles.

Despite the latest setback to resolving the first and most critical part of his ambitious five year Palace plan Goldberg said he was confident Venables would make a "positive decision".

He also said the Gascoigne deal was not dependent on Venables joining.

El Tel was expected to confirm by 5pm one way or the other but the chairman in waiting has given him more time to decide saying it would be wrong to rush into such a big decision.

The pair will meet up again late next week. Goldberg said: "If we rush the decision we won't make the right one. There will be another meeting to ensure the five-year plan is right for both Terry and myself."

Should Venables turn Palace down, Goldberg revealed that contingency plans are also in place between himself and Steve Coppell for a list of other possible candidates.

And although Goldberg has not said as much, Venables' part in securing Paul Gascoigne's services could still be vital.

Gazza's admiration for Venables is well known and the England star could be tempted by a move back south to play for the man who has played a massive part in his career.

It was Venables who brought the raw but hugely talented Gascoigne from Newcastle to Spurs in 1988 for £2.2m and helped mould him into the most talented players of his generation.

Just two years later Gazza won the heart of the nation with his brilliant performances in Italia 90, culminating in the agonizing semi-final defeat against eventual winners West Germany.

The former Barcelona boss also helped rekindle his England career after his well publicised off pitch troubles and injury problems when other managers may have cast him aside.

Gascoigne rewarded his faith by turning out to be one of the stars of Venables' England side that so nearly reached the final of the 1996 European Championships.

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