Fifth bid for Rangers

25 March 2012 09:47

Rangers' administrators aim to have new owners in place by the end of the season after receiving a fifth bid for the club.

Duff and Phelps are believed to have received an offer from a Singapore-based consortium. They follow offers from former Ibrox director Paul Murray's 'Blue Knights' consortium, Sale Sharks owner Brian Kennedy, a US-based consortium reported to be Club 9 Sports, and another unknown group.

Paul Clark, Rangers' joint administrator, told Sunday newspapers: "What we want to do is analyse the bids and I would suggest we will be moving to a shortlist that might be two or three bidders at some point next week."

Clark added: "Our preference would be for somebody else to be in control of the football club other than us by the end of the season so they have got the whole close season, the whole transfer window, they have got proper preparation for the new season."

Murray's bid is in conjunction with Ticketus, who own the rights to £27million of season tickets for the next three years, but Clark feels a court ruling on the contract on Friday has given them the power to cancel that deal.

"What it means is that the destiny of Rangers' season tickets are now in the club's own hands and gives the ability to properly assess the competing bids," he said.

"Let's be clear on what the decision means - it gives us the power, if we think it is necessary and in the best interests of the creditors, to cancel the Ticketus rights to the season tickets.

"It doesn't rule out a deal with the Blue Knights but what it does mean is we may not be able to do a deal right away because of the other competitive bids.

"We now need to take a proper look at them at all. Really the decision is a bit of a game-changer for the other bidders because, with Ticketus in place, few, if any, of them would have put forward a sensible bid because of the loss of the season-ticket revenue.

"It now gives a better assessment across the whole piece. Just to be clear, we haven't cancelled the arrangement at the moment. It's just if we feel it is necessary. At the moment, they still do have the rights but it gives the ability to cancel and then I think they would be a creditor."

Source: PA