SAN FRANCISCO 49ers main Paraag Marathe is portion of a US-led Rangers takeover bid.
The NFL supremo is progressive successful a consortium hoping to instrumentality power of the Ibrox club.
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GettyLeeds United president Marathe and chap US business figures person held elaborate talks with the Gers hierarchy successful caller months.
SunSport understands existent committee member, the American John Halsted, has been a salient fig successful bringing imaginable investors to the table.
And this could pb to the 49ers being portion of a large multi-million pound concern – should a woody beryllium struck.
Ibrox sources importune determination are inactive plentifulness of hurdles to flooded arsenic high-level discussions continue.
But determination is anticipation that an statement tin beryllium reached with the US investors to footwear disconnected a caller epoch astatine Gers.
The consortium spot immense imaginable successful the Ibrox club, with imaginable entree to the Champions League a reward for home success.
They besides presumption Scottish football arsenic a premier situation to bring successful young endowment and follow a palmy player-trading model.
Marathe heads up the 49ers Enterprises limb – which seeks to ‘oversee extracurricular concern ventures, advisory efforts, and large concern opportunities for the club’.
He is besides Executive VP of Football Operations for the NFL giants.
Marathe orchestrated the 49ers’ takeover of Leeds successful 2023 aft years of concern and is driving their bid for Premier League promotion.
Under the SFA’s dual ownership stance, this could bounds the 49ers’ quality to drawback up a Gers shareholding of implicit 29.9 per cent – the magnitude Bournemouth supremo Bill Foley was allowed to power successful Hibs.
However, determination are different US investors keen to plunge money into Gers arsenic portion of a wider consortium.
These figures judge Marathe’s acquisition of British shot tin beryllium of immense value arsenic portion of a imaginable woody to revive Rangers.
And the 49ers – bankrolled by the York family – could widen their portfolio by investing successful the Ibrox giants.
Speaking astatine the club’s AGM past year, interim president John Gilligan made it wide that Rangers were unfastened to a currency injection.
The Ibrox nine are presently strapped for currency aft posting a £17.2million nonaccomplishment past year.
Boss Philippe Clement was constricted to conscionable 1 indebtedness signing successful January, with runaway league leaders Celtic favourites to implicit different Treble.
The Lowdown: The San Francisco 49ers
Everything you request to cognize astir the San Francisco 49ers
- Founded: Established successful 1946 arsenic portion of the AAFC; joined the NFL successful 1949.
- Team Name Origin: Named aft the prospectors of the 1849 California Gold Rush.
- Location: Based successful the San Francisco Bay Area; location games played astatine Levi’s Stadium successful Santa Clara.
- Team Colours: Red, gold, and white, representing the Gold Rush heritage.
- Super Bowl Success: Five-time Super Bowl champions (1981, 1984, 1988, 1989, 1994 seasons).
- Key Players successful History: Legends see Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Steve Young, and Ronnie Lott.
- Hall of Fame: Many inductees, including Bill Walsh, Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, and Steve Young.
- The West Coast Offence: Known for popularising Bill Walsh’s innovative passing strategy successful the 1980s.
- Rivalries: Major rivalries with the Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers, Seattle Seahawks, and Los Angeles Rams.
- Community Impact: Active successful foundation and younker programmes done the 49ers Foundation.
But backmost successful December, Gilligan promised fans that alteration was coming.
He told shareholders: “There is caller concern coming into the club.
“The existent investors person invested considerably implicit the years and are consenting to bash truthful again.
“We are unfastened to anyone who approaches america connected investment.
“We get approaches from each implicit the satellite from assorted sources.
“But it has to beryllium the close radical and the close conditions and for the close magnitude of shares.
San Francisco 4th backmost Brock Purdy“We don’t privation 1 idiosyncratic owning the club.”
Rangers’ existent shareholding radical is varied – with erstwhile president Dave King inactive owning astir 13 per cent.
Douglas Park, George Taylor, Stuart Gibson and John Bennett besides person a important magnitude of shares.
It’s believed respective of them would beryllium consenting to chopped a woody for the close price, if they felt it was successful the champion interests of the club.
The Rangers committee already has beardown American ties, with non-executive manager Alastair Johnston vice president of US-based IMG – a starring sports and amusement group.
Wyoming-based Halsted became a Gers capitalist successful 2021 done Perron Investments, LLC.
There’s been a spate of tie-ins betwixt the US sport and British shot with Tom Brady is the co-owner of a Birmingham City broadside which has galore ex-Gers stars connected the payroll successful the signifier of Scott Wright, Ben Davies and Kieran Dowell.
JJ Watt is simply a number capitalist successful a Burnley broadside which presently sits 3rd successful the EFL Championship table.
Keep up to day with ALL the latest quality and transfers astatine the Scottish Sun shot page
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