Rangers will be forced to make 49ers takeover announcement – Stefan Borson
Rangers are the subject of concrete US takeover interest with the club stagnating and falling even further behind rivals Celtic.
It has been claimed the Ibrox club could have new ownership by April amid talks with a consortium backed by 49ers Enterprises and Paraag Marathe.
The takeover news comes as new chief executive Patrick Stewart undertakes an internal review at Rangers led by New York consultants Sportsology Group.
Stewart took the decision to sack Philippe Clement as manager on Sunday (23 February), with ex-captain Barry Ferguson taking the hot seat on an interim basis.
Rangers yet to take early step in takeover process, says Borson
49ers and Marathe have been in place at Leeds United as majority owners since 2023, when they wrapped up the £170million purchase of the club.
However, former Man City financial adviser Stefan Borson exclusively told Football Insider insisted they are still “very early” in the process of buying Rangers.
He revealed Rangers have not yet made a takeover disclosure – as they are obligated to do once a concrete bid arrives.
Borson told Football Insider: “It’s very early at the moment, we just need to wait and see.
“Because Rangers are a public limited company, they still need to comply with the takeover code.
“As far as I can tell, they will need to comply with that.
“They will have to make certain announcements at certain times, so we will have pretty good visibility as to whether this deal is real.
“There has been no formal announcement under the takeover panel’s disclosure table.
“The obligation is on the potential bidder, but as soon as it becomes public in any way – it’s then Rangers’ obligation.
“They may have negotiated with the takeover panel that they don’t need to make a disclosure at this stage, but they do have obligations to keep the outside world informed.”
Rangers get multi-million-pound cash injection
Football Insider revealed on Wednesday (19 February) that Rangers have received a £3.6million injection from their owners in the form of a new share issue.
Rangers’ financial situation has been firmly in the spotlight over the past few months after the club recorded heavy losses last season.
| Position | Team | Played | Points | GD |
| 1 | Celtic | 27 | 69 | 63 |
| 2 | Rangers | 27 | 56 | 32 |
| 3 | Aberdeen | 27 | 41 | -4 |
The Ibrox side currently sit 13 points behind Celtic in the Scottish Premiership table after 27 matches, with Clement losing his job after a 2-0 home defeat against St Mirren.
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