Leeds United are focused on getting all three points tonight as they prepare for one of the most important games of the Championship season against Sheffield United at Bramall Lane. The Whites will take a vocal contingent of supporters to Sheffield and they will need to do a bit more than usual to encourage their players as Daniel Farke will be missing from the touchline tonight. However, Leeds could get some unexpected support from north of the border tonight, especially from the blue section of Glasgow. Rangers fans have more than a few reasons to support Leeds’ bid to get promoted to the Premier League this season.
The two clubs with rich history have become unexpectedly intertwined since last week when it emerged Leeds United chairman Paraag Marathe is leading a consortium’s bid to carry out a takeover of Rangers.
Talks are at an advanced stage and a broad agreement is in place between the two sides as they aim to finalise the takeover of the Glasgow giants by June.
Rangers and Marathe’s group are not expecting any regulatory obstacle towards securing the takeover agreement and there is now a real expectation that they will be in charge of Rangers in the summer.
However, it has emerged the Rangers takeover bid could now hinge on Leeds’ promotion fate as one key detail has emerged that could derail the negotiations.
Rangers need Leeds United to get promoted to the Premier League
The negotiations are still ongoing and Marathe and the American consortium are hoping to get everything done and dusted to take charge of Rangers in June.
However, a slight wrinkle seems to have appeared that could derail their bid to buy the Glasgow giants and it has completely down to what happens at Leeds this season.
According to the Scottish Daily Mail (via IbroxNews), Marathe’s bid to takeover Rangers could get derailed if Leeds do not get promoted to the Premier League.
If Leeds are still in the Championship next season, his idea of buying Rangers could go up in smoke due to EFL regulations that “forbid associations or duel interests with clubs in a number of competitions including the Premier League and SPFL.”
If seems that if Leeds are still under the purview of EFL in the summer, Marathe might not get the green light to complete the takeover of Rangers.
The problem gets solved if Leeds get promoted as nothing in the Premier League rules would stop the Leeds chairman from owning the Glasgow giants.
It’s a fresh twist to the saga that has got everyone in Leeds talking and it seems the fate of both the clubs is more intertwined than it appeared previously.
The Rangers takeover bid remains an uncomfortable topic in Leeds
Farke refused to comment on Marathe’s bid to buy Rangers in his pre-match conference on Friday and he is right to focus on his players and their promotion bid.
However, the Leeds chairman’s move in Scotland has got the Leeds fans talking and there is a sense of unease about it since there is very little clarity on what it would mean to the Yorkshire giants.
Some have claimed if Leeds are in the Premier League, they would be too much of a financial behemoth and Rangers could become their feeder club.
Can you name the season these 10 Leeds United shirts are from?
However, some others have insisted that if Marathe decides to tighten the purse strings, the two clubs could end up squabbling over the same budget.
For the moment, the lack of clarity has led to speculation and Leeds fans are worried what would happen ahead of one of the most consequential summers of the club’s recent history.
And on the surface, it seems Leeds and Rangers are getting more intertwined than Marathe and the 49ers would like to admit at this stage.
