A REPORT this morning claims Rangers director Sandy Easdale could have a major role to play in the 49ers takeover – after he snapped up four million more shares in the club.
Bus tycoon Easdale, who was appointed club chairman back in 2013, stepped down from the club’s board in 2015 but still retains a significant shareholding.
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Along with brother James, the duo were last year said to be worth just under £1.5billion, ranking 116th in the Sunday Times Rich List.
And now the Daily Mail reports this morning that Easdale has grown his shareholding in the club to 2.25% of the club’s total shares by snapping up 4,000,000 shares from the previously invalidated Blue Pitch Holdings.
He is said to be a backer of the proposed takeover by US businessman Andrew Cavenagh and the San Francisco 49ers.
And it’s claimed that he has “come into the equation as someone who can facilitate a deal”.
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We told you back in March how legal papers had been submitted and were under review by all parties.
Late May has emerged as a new potential completion date for the deal.
Dave King and John Bennett are among those believed to be willing to sell their stake as part of the multi million pound deal by 49 Enterprises.
Ex-chairman Bennett is also ready to end his financial association with Gers and offload his shares – which stand at just over 7 per cent – to the Americans.
King confirmed he’s in talks over his 12.96 percent shareholding as he prepares to finally bow out – a decade after wrestling control of the club from the clutches of Mike Ashley.
But the consortium are bidding to control 51% of the club’s shares in total and Sandy Easdale’s adviser Jack Irvine told the Daily Mail: “Sandy has never stopped monitoring the goings-on at Ibrox and has long known that a major investor needs to take out the Parks and Dave King.
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“‘The chronic under-investment in players and the stadium cannot go on.
“‘As a very active investor in many fields, as diverse as cancer drugs and sports drinks, Sandy believes that a few more million shares in Rangers might be an interesting punt.”
One potential obstacle which appears to have been removed are EFL concerns over dual ownership, with Leeds Utd having corrected a recent wobble to move back top of the Championship.
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Rules on dual ownership are more relaxed in the Premiership, with an EFL source telling SunSport that the deal which recently saw Black Knight buy a 25% stake in Hibs would have been blocked had Bournemouth been in the Championship rather than the Premiership at the time.
