49ers Enterprises are prepared to inject significant funds into Rangers this summer, with plans to bring in up to six new players as they aim to close the gap on Celtic, sources have informed Football Insider.
Despite salvaging a dramatic 96th-minute equaliser against Aberdeen through Ianis Hagi on Sunday, Rangers are hanging onto their Premiership title hopes by the thinnest of margins. They currently trail Celtic by 15 points, with a vastly inferior goal difference, leaving their title ambitions all but extinguished.
According to sources, the incoming owners, 49ers Enterprises, are determined to mount a serious title challenge next season and are ready to oversee a major squad rebuild at Ibrox to help achieve that goal.
Rangers poised for summer overhaul as 49ers plan big moves
With loanees Vaclav Cerny, Rafael Fernandes, and Oscar Cortes all currently at the club, insiders say the 49ers hope to tie down permanent deals for at least some of them — with Cerny identified as a top priority.
In addition to resolving the futures of current loanees, Rangers are expected to add six new signings in total, although it remains unclear whether that figure includes or is separate from Cerny’s potential arrival from Wolfsburg.
Football Insider previously reported that the 49ers are waiting until the end of the current campaign to confirm their next permanent managerial appointment. However, sources say the new boss — once in place — will be financially backed to reshape the squad.
The 49ers are fully aware of the sizeable gap between Rangers and Celtic and view this summer as critical in narrowing it, with recruitment set to be front and centre of their plans.
New era looms as Rangers hunt for manager and marquee signings
The first order of business for the 49ers is finalising a new manager, with club legend Barry Ferguson unlikely to be handed the reins on a permanent basis. Once that’s resolved, all focus will shift to recruitment.
If Rangers are to mount a credible challenge to Celtic next season, marquee signings will be needed — potentially even audacious moves like trying to lure Scotland international Greg Taylor from Celtic. Securing players of that calibre, alongside talents like Cerny, will be vital if the club’s new era is to start with a bang.
