Credit: Imago

Rahul Lakhani

Mon 21 April 2025 17:40, UK

Rangers have nothing to play for in the rest of this season, and all the focus is on their potential change in ownership.

The Gers suffered a 2-0 defeat to Athletic Bilbao in the Europa League which ended their final hopes of winning a trophy in what has been a dismal season.

Rangers have five games remaining this season including an Old Firm clash with Celtic, but little attention will be paid to Barry Ferguson’s side on the pitch.

Off the pitch, Rangers face uncertainty over who will replace Ferguson as manager, as well as the potential takeover from 49ers Enterprises.

Here, Ibrox News rounds up the latest reports regarding the takeover coming out of Ibrox on 21 April.

Rangers takeover ‘could lead to Celtic domination’

Celtic are about to confirm their Scottish Premiership title after a dominant season as they sit 15 points clear of the Gers.

With Rangers set for a season of transition off the pitch, Keith Jackson has now claimed that this could lead to another year of Celtic domination.

Rangers will have a difficult summer transfer window ahead as they aim to complete a lot of deals, both in incomings and outgoings, and the delays to the takeover have only made this more difficult.

Speaking on Hotline Live (20 April), he said: “My own view is that they are leaving it really late in terms of putting down the building blocks to make themselves competitive in time for the start of the next season.

“I think that Celtic are miles out in front. But let’s see. They’ll obviously be coming in to make a difference and to shake things up, be the disruptors. So let’s see.

“Celtic seem so far in front just now that I don’t know how you’d set about trying to bridge that gap in just a few weeks over the summer. Because it’s enormous.

“It’s difficult to see anything other than continued dominance at this time for Celtic.”

Steven Naismith makes takeover claim

Former Rangers player Steven Naismith has given his verdict over the potential takeover, and he has pointed out that there will be a lot of work going on behind the scenes with regard to a new manager joining their project.

“They’ll be having discussions as we speak to work out who’s a potential manager or head coach that they think they can get and who’s realistic,” he stated.

If and when the takeover is completed, the priority will be to confirm their next permanent manager, before fixing the playing squad, and Naismith believes these conversations are already happening.

Rangers takeover close to completion

After months of uncertainty over whether the takeover from 49ers Enterprises will go ahead, it has now been reported by the Scottish Sun that the deal is nearing completion.

All parties have reportedly dismissed the idea that the deal was stalling, and Dave King is ready to confirm the deal which will see the American outfit buy out 51% of shares in the club.

The deal is now “closer than ever” and it may only be a matter of time before any official announcement is made.

Chris Jack shares vital takeover update

There were some fears that Leeds United potentially missing out on promotion to the Premier League could scupper a deal, given the 49ers involvement with the English side.

However, Chris Jack has now revealed that Andrew Cavenagh and Paraag Marathe have unlocked a route to completing the takeover of Rangers, and that talks are nearing a conclusion.

Talks have been ongoing since October, but a positive conclusion is now in sight, but any announcement will still be weeks away.