rbr 1,247 Posted May 22, 2010 Share Posted May 22, 2010 Eastern promise in bid for Rangers! Arabs ready to fund fresh takeover EXCLUSIVE By John Greechan Last updated at 1:02 AM on 22nd May 2010 Comments (0) Add to My Stories Interested: Businessman Andrew Ellis The battle for control of Rangers has taken a dramatic shift to the Middle East, with investors in the Arab state of Qatar being asked to bankroll a fresh takeover bid for the Scottish champions. Sportsmail believes that former Leeds United chairman Chris Akers has been working hard to gather funding aimed at securing Sir David Murrayââ?¬â?¢s controlling stake in the Ibrox club. It is understood that Akers is close to negotiating the financial package needed to push ahead with the Ã?£33million deal ââ?¬â? just as London-based property developer Andrew Ellis prepares the finishing touches to his own drawn-out approach. A number of significant hurdles remain to be cleared as the Ibrox club reach a potential turning point. Manager Walter Smith is due to make an all-important announcement on his future next week. There remains the possibility that Ellis and Akers could pool resources. But, with the latter actually landing enough cash to buy out Murray and satisfy the bankers, it would remove one major obstacle to concluding a protracted saga. Rangers and Murray have been kept in the dark over the financial package being put in place by possible bidders. Waiting game: Rangers boss Walter Smith is about to settle his future It has led to frustration regarding Ellis, whose reluctance to back up talk with action forced Ibrox chairman Alastair Johnston to publicly express his scepticism earlier this week. Senior figures at Rangers continue to stress that any deal would have to be rock solid before Murray agreed to sell. The majority shareholder has made it clear he will only move on if convinced that the new owners have the will and wherewithal to take the club forward. It is understood by Sportsmail that Akers, having failed to secure investment from sources in Dubai, moved on to Doha, where he met with a far more receptive audience. The former City analyst sold Sports Internet, a business he founded with just Ã?£25,000, for over Ã?£300m in 2000. By that stage, he had already masterminded a Ã?£16m takeover of Leeds, although he was replaced by Peter Ridsdale after three years at the helm of the clubââ?¬â?¢s parent company. During a long career in the sports investment business, he reportedly tried to persuade Time Warner to take over Manchester United ââ?¬â? and his most recent ventures reportedly include securing consultancy rights in Formula One, golf and tennis. Ellis remains bullish about his chances of concluding a deal with Murray, insisting he is still in pole position to take control of Rangers. However, Akersââ?¬â?¢ late arrival on the scene may yet scupper that. Dave Kingââ?¬â?¢s hopes of at least providing competition to the Ellis bid appear to be in tatters, with Sportsmail having revealed yesterday that the businessman had been hauled into a South African courtroom on charges of fraud and racketeering. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1280373/Eastern-promise-bid-Rangers-Arabs-ready-fund-fresh-takeover.html?ITO=1490#ixzz0oe4JzHHp 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gazza_8 233 Posted May 22, 2010 Share Posted May 22, 2010 You don't know who to believe! 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
delbear 0 Posted May 23, 2010 Share Posted May 23, 2010 You don't know who to believe! Not The Daily Mail for a start! 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cotter 0 Posted May 23, 2010 Share Posted May 23, 2010 Yaaaaaaawnnnn!!!!!!!!!! 0 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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