Key Rangers takeover figure to attend Old Firm amid Paraag Marathe uncertainty as Leeds United dilemma emerges

A key member of the Rangers takeover consortium will be in attendance at this weekend’s match with Celtic - as some uncertainty surrounds Leeds United chairman Paraag Marathe.

According to the Daily Record, US health insurance tycoon Andrew Cavenagh will take a seat at Ibrox for the Old Firm. It comes after he was part of a delegation from the consortium looking to buy a controlling stake in Rangers before the end of the season or this summer.

It’s a takeover spearheaded by 49ers Enterprises, who also own Leeds United, and club chairman Paraag Marathe was spotted at Ibrox this week as part of the consortium who visited Scotland. New reporting sheds some uncertainty over how much Rangers will see of him amid Leeds United objectives following their promotion to the Premier League.

Paraag Marathe involvement at Rangers

The report states: “It is understood that [Cavenagh] will be in the directors’ box again on Sunday and the expectation is he’ll be a regular next season. But it remains to be seen if Paraag Marathe will be quite as prominent a face. He’s a long-serving 49ers exec having spent 24 years with the NFL outfit but has branched out responsibilities lately having taken over as chairman of Leeds United. He’ll have plenty on his hands down in Yorkshire next year having overseen the Peacocks’ return to the Premier League and announced plans for a major expansion of Elland Road.”

More change is also due at Rangers in the form of new sporting director Kevin Thelwell, who will soon arrive at the club from Everton. Interim manager Barry Ferguson has been addressing off the park topics surrounding the club in the build up to Sunday’s fourth league meeting with rivals Celtic.

Barry Ferguson on 49ers takeover at Rangers

He said: “I had a long meeting with Kev. It was good. it's the first time I've sat down with him, I was impressed by him. Obviously, what was said will remain private, you know I'm going to say that. It was great to bang heads together. He got my feelings, he totally understood them. Very impressive and it's something that I think will work really well for the club.

“Are plans starting to take shape? They need to. We are a couple of weeks away from the season finishing and before you know it, you're back in pre-season. Before you know it, you've got Champions League qualifiers and then the league starts. It's clear that Rangers as a club need to start moving because, as I mentioned there, the season's just around the corner.

“But listen, what was said in the room will remain private. I came out of the meeting feeling good about it and I'm hopeful Kevin did as well. We understand that there's going to be a lot of changes and there has to be a lot of changes to try and make this club successful again. It's built on winning trophies and it's clear over the last number of years that we've won nowhere near enough.

“Of course [I’m excited for the future]. I've said it, if I'm not going to be here, I'm excited about the prospect of new owners coming in. Kevin came in as the sporting director, head of the football department. I said changes had to happen. These changes now are starting to happen. If I am a Rangers supporter, which I am, and the hundreds of thousands that are out there should be excited about what's hopefully going to be coming.

“Did I speak with the consortium? Just briefly for a few minutes. We welcomed them to the training centre, but I had more important stuff to do. I've got to prepare for an Old Firm game. We saw them round about the place and that was it basically. Then I sat down with Kevin and now I'm just looking forward to getting hopefully three points."