Rangers are preparing for a multi-million pound US-led takeover which will place them among the world’s wealthiest clubs.
Record Sport exclusively revealed last week the Ibrox club are at an advanced stage of the takeover, spearheaded by American business tycoon Andrew Cavenagh and 49ers Enterprises – an arm of the famed San Francisco 49ers NFL franchise. The deal would see the group take dual control of both the Scottish Premiership giants and Leeds United, having completed their takeover of the English Championship club in July 2023.
We told you how the SFA have ‘no issues’ with the consortium’s sensational buy out proposal – which could see Leeds chairman Marathe take a seat on a new-look Ibrox board, with the deal expected to be completed by June.
In recent weeks, the Light Blues have been knocked out of the Scottish Cup by Queen’s Park, suffered a sobering 2-0 defeat at home to St Mirren and, finally, seen manager Philippe Clement sacked after 16 months at the helm. The consortium’s financial power could be a “game-changer” for Rangers during this tumultuous period, with the Ibrox club standing to benefit from a major cash injection from the American backers.
The wealthy NFL giants have already plunged millions into Leeds in the English Championship and could do the same to turn around the Gers’ fortunes in the summer window. Yet, the club may need to work with a tight budget initially, with UEFA’s financial sustainability rules meaning Rangers’ spending on player and coach wages, transfers and agents fees is restricted this season to 70 per cent of a club’s revenue from this summer.
And so, amid the renewed optimism at the Ibrox, how do the new owners’ wealth compare to that of other clubs?
The York family own the 49ers and have an estimated net worth of 5.8 billion dollars, equivalent to around £4.73bn, according to the latest figures released by Forbes Magazine at the end of 2024. That places them just outside of the top 10 in the richest owners worldwide. According to Statista, here’s a look at those who make up the top 10 in terms of their net worth, with Rangers’ new prospective owners trailing closely.
Top 10 richest football club owners worldwide
- Public Investment Fund – Newcastle United (£718bn)
- Sheikh Mansour – Manchester City (£23.8bn)
- Sir Jim Ratcliffe – Manchester United (£21bn)
- David Tepper – Charlotte FC (£14.3bn)
- Philip Anschutz – LA Galaxy (£10.3bn)
- Shahid Khan – Fulham (£9.5bn)
- Nasser Al-Khelaifi – Paris Saint-Germain (£6.3bn)
- Stan Kroenke – Arsenal (£6.1bn)
- Joe Lewis – Tottenham (£6bn)
- Dietmar Hopp – Hoffenheim (£5.6bn)