Murray could open door for foreign chief

Published on Friday 10 August 2007 14:19

RANGERS chairman Sir David Murray has not ruled out the club passing into foreign hands when he stands down.

Murray has pledged to carry out his own 'fit and proper person' test, similar to the English Premier League's assessment procedure, on prospective new owners.

And he insists he will judge on merit, rather than on the lines of nationality, when he discusses a takeover with potential investors.

Murray said: "You cannot set down the template for the right kind of owner and box yourself in. You can't say he must be Scottish, British or a foreigner. There is talk about scrutiny of would-be owners for English Premier League clubs. I will do that kind of check myself on people. The fans will just have to trust me. I think many will back me on that because when I keep checking the record books we find that Rangers have won the title in 13 of my 19 seasons at Ibrox."

English clubs with foreign owners include Newcastle, Manchester United, Aston Villa, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City.

Murray has repeatedly stressed he is in no rush to sell, and has demonstrated his ongoing commitment by backing manager Walter Smith in the transfer market, striker Daniel Cousin of Lens becoming his tenth signing of the summer yesterday.