Former defender Arthur Numan admits he can see why Rangers bosses may be tempted to rename Ibrox and boost the club’s coffers.
Reports on Monday suggest the Light Blues are close to agreeing a £2.5million deal with Newcastle owner Mike Ashley over stadium naming rights.
Ashley is a Rangers shareholder and his Sports Direct firm is already an official retail partner of the Glasgow giants.
Boss Ally McCoist has said in the past he is open-minded on the issue, although a section of the support have been vocal in their opposition to the plans.
Numan – who played for Rangers between 1998 and 2003 – said: “If you mention Ibrox, everybody knows it’s Rangers and if you mention Parkhead, everybody knows it’s Celtic.
“But, nowadays, it’s all down to the money.
“If a big company knocks on the door and wants to spend a couple of million to change the name, it’s very tempting for the chairman.
“I can imagine they would consider actually changing the name.
“I think they will look into everything, especially finance-wise.
“We know all about the problems of the last couple of years and that’s the reason why they are now in the Third Division.
“We have seen it with Arsenal with the Emirates Stadium and the reason is the money.
“It’s not because they like the name – it’s because they are paid millions for it.”
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