The exciting news of San Francisco 49ers involvement in Rangers appears to be further down the line than first thought.
Talks were last night said to be at an ‘advanced stage’ with 49ers Enterprises key man Paraag Marathe leading the way for investment in Rangers. Marathe is also the current chief executive at Leeds United.
He is leading a US consortium, which also includes an unnamed American business mogul, looking to invest multi-millions in the club and become the leading shareholder at Ibrox.
Marathe was behind the takeover at Leeds and is aiming to achieve the same thing in Glasgow.
The consortium would be looking to take seats on the board but complications come in when you consider how they might go about acquiring shares from the likes of Dave King (13 per cent), Douglas Park (12 per cent), George Taylor (10 per cent) and others.
Rangers valued at £100m ahead of San Francisco 49ers deal
Beyond the initial ‘advanced discussions’ report, the Daily Mail are now suggesting a deal is “all but done and dusted.”
A source has told them that the US consortium has secured promises of at least a controlling interest, with agreements in place with “several leading shareholders”.
We told yesterday how Rangers had issued a new share issue.
It is now being suggested shares could have been traded at 20p each, which values Rangers at £100million.
Another source told the Mail that the businessman involved in the deal are not the type to retain a board of directors when taking over at a club, meaning boardroom change is likely.
How much money do San Francisco 49ers group have to spend
As mentioned, Marathe is part of the investment arm of the American football club, 49ers Enterprises.
While others are involved, that means Rangers will likely have money invested in them by the group.
The family of Denise York, co-chairman of the 49ers, have a $6.7bn fortune, which converts to £5.32bn.
Hopes would certainly be high of a warchest for Philippe Clement, or another manager, in the summer.
