GLASGOW Rangers have released a statement confirming the club is not planning a takeover of Bury.

It had been widely reported that the Scottish giants’ were looking at plans to buy the Shakers before the start of the League One season and move their home fixtures to Ibrox.

Bury’s board of directors have spent the day refuting any links between the Glasgow side and the Gigg Lane outfit, with chairman Brian Fenton assuring fans that the club would be staying put.

Yet their denials were met by stony silence north of the border until mid afternoon, when Rangers finally distanced themselves from the tabloid newspaper reports.

The club’s rather empty statement read: “Rangers has not approached Bury and our focus is on securing our status in the Scottish League structure.”

A consortium headed by former Sheffield United chief executive Charles Green bought the Old Firm club for £6million last week but could not save it from liquidation.

Rangers have been threatened with demotion to Scottish Division Three as punishment and the remaining 11 Scottish Premier League sides will vote on their fate on July 4.

Whether this process has anything to do with today’s reports of Rangers’ proposed Bury buy-out is not yet clear.

“Until we find out more, I can only assume we are being used to further Rangers’ negotiations with the SPL,” said Fenton.

“Nobody from Rangers has been in contact with us since the story broke to explain where it came from and what it’s all about. And they certainly haven’t apologised for the chaos it has caused.

“But I can reassure fans that nobody is moving Bury Football Club out of this town.”

See The Bolton News tomorrow for the full story, reaction and comment.