Paraag Marathe has dropped hint on Rangers financial muscle already as 49ers takeover could fulfil long-term vision

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Rangers could soon be bankrolled by the mega-money behind the San Francisco 49ers – and Ibrox diehards may already know the template that could influence the club's spending power.

Record Sport revealed in an blockbuster exclusive that Paraag Marathe and the 49ers are behind a surprise move to takeover the crisis-hit Ibrox side after a US-based consortium held secret discussions stretching beyond the turn of the year. Those talks are now understood to have reached an advanced stage and could be completed over the new few weeks after the SFA cleared the path for the dual ownership plan. That would involve Leeds United – and could offer a major clue on how Rangers will operate in the market under 49ers Enterprises.

.After taking over at United in the summer of 2023, Paarag Marathe made it clear that 49ers Enterprises wouldn't be throwing massive transfer sums at the problems at Elland Road. While admitting cash would be available in 2023 - following the Yorkshire outfit's relegation from the Premier League - a "creative" approach was put on the table.

He said: “The best chairmen and owners are the ones who don’t have to talk too much, are in the background, give support when needed, expertise when needed and obviously investment when needed. The truth is we want to do this not just because we’re doing this balancing act and maintain good finances.

(Image: Simon Davies/ProSports/REX/Shutterstock)

"But also want to be aggressive, we want to get straight back up as soon as we can, we want to do what it takes because hopefully the Championship is just a speed bump in our way to a much longer path that we’re going on. So, we want to be aggressive as we can be which is probably going to require us being as creative as we can be as well.”

(Image: Getty Images)

Since then, the club have shaken up their recruitment structure with responsibilities shared around behind the scenes under a head of recruitment following Victor Orta's departure at the start of the 49ers era - with a player-trading model all but instantly adopted. Around £35m was splashed on Joel Piroe, Ethan Ampadu, Glen Kamara and Ilia Gruev while the same was recouped on fees with the £25m departure of Tyler Adams to Bournemouth leading the outgoings.

This season, Martathe admitted that changes will have to be made to fall in line with English Football League’s profitability and sustainability (PnS) - not unlike the UEFA rules that Rangers will have to follow. He told The Athletic before the new campaign: “The reality of being in the Championship is that PnS plays a role. There will naturally need to be some trade-offs. But we have a really good team and it’s not just outs.

"It’s ins as well, looking at scouting opportunities for us. We’ll have to make some trade-offs because of PnS, but we have the investment commitment to do what we need to do.”

The Whites would allow Archie Gray, Crysencio Summerville and Georginio Rutter to be snapped up by Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United and Brighton and Hove Albion respectively with a whopping £150m boost to the Elland Road coffers last summer. In contrast to incomings, Joe Rodon was the biggest spend of the summer arriving for around £9m with just £30m splashed on recruitment.

However, the plan appears to have worked so far with Leeds closing in on a return to the English top flight and sitting top of the Championship - with Marathe delivering on his instant promise on spending power. Rangers have long been looking to adopt a player-trading model - with former chairman John Bennett branding it "mythical" last summer as he fronted up to losses in the annual accounts.

Marathe may have the keys to finally unlock that model having ushered it in at Leeds to meet EFL standards. UEFA's financial sustainability rules introduced two years ago could have a similar impact on Rangers' prospective spending power.

European football's governing body make compliance a condition of playing in their competitions - and from the summer only 70 per cent of clubs income over a single calendar year can be spent on player and coach wages, transfers and agents fees.

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