Donald Trump came close to stunning takeover of European football giants but backed out for one key reason

Donald Trump in his second stint as president of the United States but he could have been the owner of a British football club, it has been revealed.

Trump was sworn in for his second term in the White House back in January after beating Democrat Kamala Harris and the Democrats to win the 2024 Presidential Election.

He has been busy overseeing all that goes on in America, meeting with Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy and United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer in recent times.

But over a decade ago and Trump was said to be genuinely interested in buying a football club but ultimately backed away.

The 78-year-old has roots in Scotland, with his mother Mary Anne MacLeod born in the Scottish Highlands in 1912 before emigrating to New York.

Trump owns two golf courses in Scotland - the latest of which was opened in 2012 10 miles north of Aberdeen near Balmedie.

That same year, Scottish giants Rangers were a complete mess financially and ultimately went into administration and liquidation before starting up again in the fourth tier of the pyramid.

The club were in desperate need of a buyer to clear their debts and it's claimed that Trump and his representatives did have a serious look but decided the financial difficulties were too much to take on.

"We looked seriously and walked away," a Trump source told the Wall Street at the time, as per The Mirror.

"It just did not make sense to us, although they are a great club. We hope someone steps in and builds the team again."

Donald Trump came close to buying a football team, it was claimed. Image: Getty

Rangers did rise again and won the SPFL title again in 2021, before reaching the Europa League final and losing on penalties in the following year.

The Ibrox outfit are in the round of 16 for the competition this year and will take on Jose Mourinho's Fenerbahce on Thursday.

Trump has owned a football team

Trump has owned a football team, having had a spell in charge of defunct franchise the New Jersey Generals in the 1980s.

The Generals played three seasons in the United States Football League from 1983 to 1985, winning 31 regular season games and losing 25.

Having initially wanted to buy the franchise a year prior, Trump bought the Generals in 1983 and is believed to have used as a vehicle to acquire an NFL team.

He also had plans for the team to play at a new 80,000 'Trump Stadium in Manhattan but nothing materialised.