Rangers told they can bridge £40m Celtic gap on one condition as seismic change comes with epic reward

A finance expert has suggested Rangers could close a £40m gap and close in on Celtic - with a new owner.

The Light Blues are in a state of change behind the scene. John Bennett has stepped down as chairman while the hunt goes on for someone to replace James Bisgrove as CEO after his exit in the summer.

They trail Celtic by five points in the Premiership. Speculation has emerged over fresh investment in Rangers and bold claims have recently been made a party in the far-east have an interest in the club.

That has former Man City adviser Stefan Borson suggesting a new owner could carve out a way back to the Champions League for Rangers. That fresh investment would then help bridge the gap to Celtic, which he reckons stands at up to £40m.

The finance expert told Football Insider: “Rangers have got to get back in the Champions League. If you can get back in the Champions League, it has an outsize impact.

“Given the other revenue streams and the very light domestic TV deal, if you can get into the Champions League and earn those Champions League revenues, it is going to be transformational for Rangers. It would also allow them to continue to compete with Celtic.

“While they are out of the Champions League, they are going to find it difficult because they are going to be £20-£40million behind in revenue and profit because a lot of this stuff goes straight to the bottom line.

“They are going to find themselves quite a long way behind financially for every year they are not in the Champions League. They need to get back into the Champions League and any new owner that can invest such that they achieve that is going to make a big difference. That’s got to be their big target.”