QPR Reportedly in Talks with THREE Different Consortiums

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Daily Mail - Two new parties join the talks to buy Rangers

Queens Park Rangers are in talks with three different consortiums about a possible takeover.

Sportsmail can reveal that two new parties are at the negotiating table with Rangers chiefs in addition to the consortium led by Renault F1 boss Flavio Briatore.

One is believed to be British-based and the other is made up of foreign interests but it is understood that the Briatore bid is still considered the most 'attractive' by the Rangers board.

Although it has been speculated that a deal with the flamboyant Italian businessman could be completed within days, negotiations are finely poised and no deal has been done.

Antonio Caliendo, the chairman of QPR Holdings Ltd, flew into London last night as talks with the various parties stepped up.

Privately, the QPR board have set a deadline for the end of the month for any takeover to be completed.

There is a diminishing enthusiasm among the Monaco-based consortium who own 62 per cent of the club and include Caliendo, chairman Gianni Paladini and Brazil manager Dunga to pour any more money in as the threat of administration continues to hover over Loftus Road.

The club are £21million in debt and struggling to meet their day-to-day running costs. Even the multi-million pound sales of Danny Shittu to Watford, Dean Parrett to Tottenham and Lee Cook to Fulham in the last 12 months have been unable to stem the cashflow problems.

Furthermore, directors are owed unsecured loans worth between £5m-£7m and this sum would have to be written off were Rangers to go into administration for the second time in six years. By comparison, the £10m loan to the Panama-based ABC Corporation is secured against the ground, which is Ranger's most valuable asset and worth over £20m.

It has been reported that any takeover of Rangers would cost around £30m, including around £10m to be handed to manager John Gregory to spend on new players.

Thoughts about a takeover will momentarily be put to one side tonight as Leyton Orient visit for their Carling Cup encounter.

Rangers will be without their two leading strikers, Ben Sahar, who will be missing for at least another fortnight after having his appendix out, and Dexter Blackstock, who has a thigh injury.

Michael Simpson and Clayton Fortune are ruled out for Orient. Daily Mail