Rangers terminate Joey Barton's contract with immediate effect

He was suspended after the 5-1 defeat to Old Firm rivals Celtic

Barton has not played since the 5-1 defeat to Celtic (Getty)

Rangers have terminated the contract of midfielder Joey Barton with immediate effect, the club have announced.

Barton was signed off with stress at the start of the week with his representatives locked in negotiations over a severance package that would see the midfielder officially end his ill-fated spell in Scottish football.

In a tweet, the club said: “Rangers and Joey Barton have agreed to terminate his contract with immediate effect. Neither the club nor Joey Barton will comment further.”

The 34-year-old had been suspended by the club pending an internal investigation since September but returned to training last Thursday, albeit with the academy.

Barton was initially sent home after a training ground row with a teammate in the wake of the club’s 5-1 Old Firm defeat to Rangers, a ban that was later extended after he was charged with a breach of Scottish Football Association betting rules.

The former England international faces an SFA hearing on November 17 for his alleged betting on matches.