Andrew Ellis has admitted for the first time he is not acting alone in his prolonged bid to take over Rangers.
London-based property developer Ellis is still deciding whether to make a reported £33million offer to buy out majority shareholder Sir David Murray. It had been previously thought he may be acting alone, with a representative of the Channel Islands trust firm that represents Ellis' RFC Holdings (Guernsey) insisting the businessman was not "a frontman for a consortium" and was "the only bidder" involved.
But Ellis told the Herald: "I'm not acting alone, no. I've got people involved with me. But I don't want to make any more comment. It's still early days for us."
Ellis denied his camp had approached two Northern Irish-based construction and property firms, Mivan and MAR Properties Limited, with a view to providing financial backing for a possible takeover.
He also insisted he had yet to hold discussions over the potential impact of an HM Revenue & Customs investigation into Rangers' tax affairs, centring on alleged offshore payments made to players dating back several years.
Asked if he had an indemnity in place, Ellis said: "It's still early days. All these things have got to be talked about. That's why it's too early.
"It's a massive club. It's an institution and it's got to be handled properly. It's the club that counts, and the fans and the history. It's not straightforward."
Ellis was criticised earlier this week by Rangers chairman Alastair Johnston, who is frustrated at the lack of progress made on the takeover front since the former first declared his interest two months ago.
Ellis hit back by claiming Johnston had not attempted to contact him, though the chairman insisted takeover rules prevented him from doing so.
Ellis believes he has been unfairly vilified, saying: "I won't make any comment yet as it's not fair. I don't want to mislead people. I've been taking a lot of stick up there that I really don't deserve. I feel like a goalkeeper at shooting practice. Until it's time for me to come out and say something, I don't want to be drawn into saying things."
Source: PA
