Meet Neil Lal: The businessman who wants to buy Rangers with big expansion plans

Scots-Indian businessman Neil Lal has made it clear he would be interested in purchasing Rangers.

Andrew Cavenagh and the 49ers Enterprises have only been Rangers owners for little over a year.

Despite that, they may already have to prepare themselves for rival interest in the acquisition of the club.

The Americans purchased 51 per cent of Rangers in May 2025, and have injected a considerable amount of money into the club already.

However, results on the pitch during their tenureship so far have largely not been good enough.

If that doesn't change soon, questions may start being asked by supporters as to just how committed, and indeed suitable, they are to be Rangers owners.

What has Neil Lal said about his desire to buy Rangers?

Should the 49ers and Cavenagh look to sell Rangers in the near future, then Lal is already positioning himself to be a leading candidate to succeed them.

The businessman has already enquired about purchasing English League One side Leicester City in a potential £200million takeover bid.

However, speaking via The Scottish Sun, he's also revealed he's looking to buy a football club in Scotland, confessing Rangers are a target of his.

“We also are looking for a football venture in Scotland," Lal said. “In Scotland the two largest clubs are Rangers and Celtic.

“We are currently looking at the situation and feel that Rangers FC have the potential to do much better on the pitch and financially.

“Once again by increasing the revenue stream with regards to merchandise and streaming on a global scale with India, this will provide more funds to invest in players and to increase the stadium capacity too, which will pay in the long run.

“From a 50,000 stadium to 60,000 or more will bring in more revenue. Football has rules and you can only invest on new players depending on your revenue.

“There is much improvement that can be done here. If the opportunity arises to invest in Rangers or another club we shall explore that situation when it comes.

But just how much of Rangers would Lal want to buy from the 49ers, and would he be interested in partnering up with them at Ibrox?

What plans does Lal have for Rangers if he became owner?

Clearly then, Lal sees big potential for Rangers under his potential ownership.

Judging by what he continues to say in this interview, Lal wouldn't be shy when it comes to spending money at Ibrox either.

“Obviously, the new owners have taken over and it has not been easy, they’ve spent a lot of money," he continued.

“In my opinion, I would rather buy their (49ers) stake in full if it comes up that it is available, and if it’s at the right price that suits us. Working in partnership is a possibility, however, I would prefer to buy the full stake for our plans.

“If the opportunity came up, we would buy the full stake, but right now it’s a bit too early, it’s not been easy for them, but if the opportunity did come up, and it’s got to be the right price, we would buy the full stake from them.

“Lets see what happens, we have a vision and we’re here for the long term – we’re not here to make a quick buck and get out."

So, who is Lal and what is his background?

Lal's business background and his other ventures

As detailed via his own website, Lal's grandfather moved from India to Scotland in the 1940s and started up the family business, Lal & Co.

Neil was born in Scotland in 1975, and began his own venture into business from the early 2000s onwards.

He oversees multiple active UK companies under Lal Sharma Group across real estate, venture capital, and investment.

The Lal Sharma Group are based in Glasgow, whilst Lal is also the chairman and president of The Indian Council of Scotland and the United Kingdom.

On top of that, he's also a voluntary ambassador for the Global Fellowship of Christian Youth, a patron of the Together UK Foundation and a board member of Variety, the Children's Charity Scotland.

This isn't likely right now, but is certainly one to watch in the future, with focus firmly on Derek McInnes, Lawrence Shankland and Co.