• Green says he met Whyte for the first time last week
• Celtic round off season with 5-0 victory over Hearts
Charles Green, the man in charge of the consortium poised to take over Rangers, has denied any business link to the club's former owner Craig Whyte.
A report on Saturday morning claimed that one of Green's companies completed a £30m deal with Close Brothers 12 years ago. Whyte, under whose ownership Rangers plunged into administration, sold off future catering revenues at Ibrox to Close Brothers during his ill-fated reign.
Green confirmed he had given Whyte £1 – the same value paid – for his 85% stake in Rangers, and said: "I gave him a pound out of my own pocket too, so he has made a 100% profit."
On any suggestion of a previous connection, Green said: "It was complete rubbish. I met Craig Whyte for the very first time a week last Tuesday in London."
Green has been afforded exclusive‑bidder status three months after Rangers entered administration. The former Sheffield United chief executive aims to take the club out of that form via a company voluntary arrangement on 6 June but such a move depends on the support of key creditors, HM Revenue and Customs among them.
If no such agreement can be reached, Green will be forced to run Rangers as a new company in the controversial "newco" form. Green heads a 20-strong consortium, which includes investors from Singapore, and has promised to offer £8.5m to creditors, plus football debts of £3.5m as and when they are received by Rangers. "Every other bidder was ahead of us. But nobody could put cash on the table. I can," Green said.
On the likelihood of a company voluntary arrangement succeeding, Green said: "We can't be confident. But my view and my upbringing in life is something's better than nothing. If they turn down the cash, then the alternative is they will get nothing. I don't believe it's in the best interests of the people of the UK – which HMRC are responsible to – to turn down an offer where they get cash in order to receive nothing. It wouldn't be logical. However we have all seen many things that are not logical."
David Whitehouse, Rangers' joint administrator, was more positive about progressing with a CVA. He said: "That by some considerable margin is the best financial deal for creditors. We have been in regular discussion with major creditors for the last couple of weeks. They are aware of the nature of that proposal, they are aware it is the best deal and we have agreed it will be put forward at a creditors meeting.
"Now we have a period of drafting and the intention is the CVA proposal goes out on 21 May. The headline detail of the proposal has been discussed. We can't get a commitment until they have an opportunity to consider it at senior level. There is a backdrop strategy such that in what we believe is the unlikely event it is not accepted the deal would then revert to a newco strategy."
Celtic rounded off their season in comprehensive fashion, Gary Hooper scoring all the goals in the 5-0 dismissal of Hearts before the hosts collected the Scottish Premier League trophy. Hooper claimed a hat-trick – including one penalty – within 39 minutes, adding a second half brace thereafter. Read More
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