Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver is making an aggressive bid to buy majority control of the iconic Scottish soccer club Rangers, according to NBA sources.
ESPN.com sources confirmed on Sunday a BBC Sports report in Scotland that Sarver has lodged a bid of 18 million pounds ($27.5 million) to purchase a controlling stake in the fallen giants, who have again drifted into difficult times financially after essentially going bankrupt in 2012.
One source briefed on the process told ESPN.com that if successful in securing majority control, Sarver is "looking to invest a significant amount of capital" into Rangers in an attempt to help restore the club to their top-division status in Scotland and resuscitate their storied Old Firm rivalry with Celtic, which ranks as one of the most passionate derbies in the sport.
A general board decision to respond Sarver's offer is scheduled for Monday. Sources told ESPN.com that Sarver's interest in the Glasgow club was initiated by former Rangers and Scotland defender David Robertson, who now resides in the Phoenix area and has coached Sarver's sons in youth soccer.
Sarver declined comment when reached Sunday by ESPN. BBC Scotland reported that Rangers officials have likewise declined comment after Sarver formally made the offer to purchase a majority stake in the club shortly after Christmas.
After its financial collapse and expulsion from the Scottish Premier League, humbled Rangers were forced to drop all the way to the fourth tier of Scottish football starting in the 2012-13 season, which led to the departure of three American national-teamers who had become fixtures at the club: Carlos Bocanegra, Maurice Edu and Alejandro Bedoya. Other U.S. stars to have turned out for the Scottish giants include DaMarcus Beasley and current NYCFC director of football operations, Claudio Reyna.
Rangers currently sit in second place in the Scottish Championship, one rung below the Scottish Premiership, but are 13 points behind table-topping Hearts. The club has been crowned Scottish league champions 54 times in their history and earned successive promotions in the past two seasons after relaunching in Scotland's lowest professional division in the fall of 2012.