By Kieran Maguire

2nd May, 2023 | 2:40pm

Kieran Maguire: Rangers set for 'messy' legal battle amid £10m twist

The legal battle between Rangers and Elite Sportswear could prove to be ‘messy’ and ‘expensive’ if both parties don’t reach an out-of-court settlement.

That is the view of finance expert Kieran Maguire, who exclusively told Football Insider that Rangers are in for a ‘bitter’ court battle after Elite Sportswear proceeded with their case.

Elite Sportswear opened a £9.5million court case against Rangers after the Glasgow club signed a deal with Castore.

It is claimed that by signing the Castore deal, Rangers breached their contract with former kit manufacturers Hummel – who are partnered with Elite Sportswear.

Administrators of the Danish firm are set to proceed with the court case, but Rangers revealed in their recent accounts release that they haven’t set money aside for the case as they believe it is unlikely to succeed.

Maguire believes an out-of-court settlement could be on the cards as otherwise both parties are set to endure a ‘messy’ legal battle.

“As we saw with the dispute between Rangers and Mike Ashley, commercial deals have to be honoured,” Maguire told Football Insider.

“In this particular case, it does appear that both sides – Elite Sportswear and the Rangers board – are convinced they are going to win.

“This is unlikely to work out in practice, but there is the potential here for an out-of-court settlement if both parties are willing to compromise.

“If it goes to court, it could be long, bitter and expensive.

“The administrators of Elite Sportswear tend to be quite cautious and conservative in their outlook and would normally only open legal proceedings if they have a strong case.

“Unless both parties can get around a table and make a settlement, it could be a very messy issue for the club to deal with.“

In other news, Rangers and Celtic in two-way race to sign Liverpool goalscorer