Kennedy makes new offer for Gers

The interminable saga surrounding the proposed takeover of Rangers has taken another twist after Brian Kennedy put himself back in the frame.

The Sale Sharks owner saw a previous bid rejected last month for being too low but said at that time he would return to the table if he felt the club's future was in jeopardy and yesterday he contacted administrators Duff and Phelps.

Kennedy confirmed in the Scottish Sun that he had made the new "substantially improved" offer, and added that he is "waiting for the administrators to come back to me".

He continued: "Whether they go the Paul Murray and Ticketus route or my way, I would implore them to act swiftly.

"We're both coming at it from exactly the same angle. We both have Rangers at heart, we're both Scottish, both live here and both know what's best for the club. We've got responsibility, we've got accountability. Whether it's Paul or me I don't mind, I just want this to be sorted - and sorted soon."

American tycoon Bill Miller and Bill Ng, a Singaporean businessman, are rival bidders while former Rangers director Paul Murray's Blue Knights consortium, originally backed by Kennedy, have stepped aside to help facilitate what they hope will be a quick deal with any of the other bidders in order to save the club from liquidation.

However, despite "intensive discussions" taking place on Wednesday night, the takeover saga shows no signs of reaching a conclusion any time soon with Duff and Phelps frustrated in their attempts to get an unconditional bid on the table.

While it is not yet quite clear what Edinburgh-born Kennedy is offering, it is believed some of the conditions attached to bids from Miller and Ng cannot be fulfilled or guaranteed by the administrators who are continuing to work towards a resolution.

Meanwhile, Murray has revealed the Blue Knights are ready to re-enter the race in light of "lack of activity" in the bidding process over the last couple of days.

He told the Daily Record: "In the light of the lack of activity over the subsequent 48 hours, I am reconsidering our position. This situation has to be resolved with maximum urgency as we are now heading beyond the point of no return."