49ers' Rangers takeover stance 'revealed' after confirmed news

Rangers' 49ers ownership are highly unlikely to entertain Neil Lal's clear desire to buy the club in the coming years.

That is according to former Aberdeen chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, who believes that the Americans are in it for the long haul at Ibrox.

This comes after Lal went public with his desire to one day own the Glasgow giants back in August, while he is also keen on a deal to buy Leicester City.

However, Wyness believes that the Scottish-Indian businessman would need support from one of the "top three or four Indian families," and does not believe that they are keen to invest in a football club right now.

He made it clear that the idea of a footballing venture hasn't appealed to those sorts of groups before, and does not expect Rangers to be the "trigger" for that to change.

The 49ers have only been at Ibrox for just over a year, and Wyness believes they have no intention of jumping ship any time soon.

49ers view Rangers as 'work in progress'

Aberdeen's former chief Wyness - who served as CEO at Pittodrie between 2000 and 2004 and now runs a consultancy business advising elite clubs - believes that the 49ers still view Rangers as a "work in progress."

He made it clear that they view the Gers as a long-term project alongside their venture with Leeds.

Speaking on Football Insider's Inside Track podcast, Wyness explained why a sale of Rangers is highly unlikely in the coming years, despite Lal's interest.

"Would the 49ers be the ones that would sell Rangers? I doubt it. I think they're still seeing it as a work in progress," he said.

"There is a possibility, but it would have to be one of the top three or four Indian families that would be interested. 

"Now, over the years, I've talked to those families about different things, and they've always shown an interest but never pulled the trigger. And I don't think that Leicester or Rangers would necessarily be the right trigger either for them. 

"There's no doubt they haven't made their move in football yet, but I don't necessarily see this being the right way forward."

Paraag Marathe back to 'day-to-day' control at Rangers

Wyness told Football Insider earlier this week that it is undoubtedly a positive change for Rangers to have Paraag Marathe back in "day-to-day" control of the club.

Marathe has been added back to the Gers' board as a director, despite him previously stepping down from his role as vice-chair back in February.

Wyness made it clear that he is a "sensible operator" with "good experience," and feels that he is a valuable addition to the Gers board.

Marathe and Andrew Cavenagh were both key players in the 49ers' early reign at Ibrox, and they will now work together once again.