THE secure emails dropped into the inbox one after another.

One, two, three, four of them. From four countries across three continents, the "best and final" offers were sent electronically and landed with the team of administrators trying to find a way of saving Rangers. For the next few days the men from Duff & Phelps will pore over them and decide which one they like best. Will Rangers' new owners be Scottish, American, German or Singaporean? The range of nationalities is almost comically diverse, but the intentions and consequences for Ibrox deadly serious.

Duff & Phelps will place some information on Rangers' official website today but there won't be much for anyone to chew over. It is a statutory requirement that they post some humdrum news about resolutions, continuing as administrators, and having to seek permission to form a creditors' committee to represent all of those who are owed money by Rangers. What is unlikely to change today is this: there is still no real information in the public domain about three of the four bids.

Only Paul Murray's Blue Knights have said anything so far about how they intend to fund a purchase and what they plan to do with Rangers if they get the club. "The Blue Knights Consortium, led by Paul Murray and supported by fans' representatives (from the Rangers Supporters Assembly, the Rangers Supporters Association and the Rangers Supporters Trust) and Ticketus, confirms that it has this morning submitted its best and final bid for the acquisition of Rangers Football Club ahead of today's deadline, as requested by the Administrators," read a statement yesterday. There wasn't a single sentence from those who would like to control Rangers from America, Asia or Europe.

Perhaps one or more of them will break cover in the coming days but unless they do – or Murray reveals something significant about how the race is going – the next major news is likely to be Duff & Phelps' confirmation of who is their preferred bidder. That is due to come in the early part of next week.

So, perhaps, will the dreaded outcome of "the big tax case", the issue former chairman Alastair Johnson once described as the gorilla in the room. Only those in possession of the mountain of evidence know how that verdict will go and to what extent the gorilla needs fed, but the case and its potential liabilities of up to £49m continues to haunt the entire takeover saga. It hasn't been the focus of the headlines nor the general coverage this week, but it is safe to say the potential consequences of it and worrying about HMRC are covered in minute detail in each and every one of those four secure emails. Even in the Far East and North America they aren't wondering around in ignorance about the big tax case and what it could mean for Rangers.

Duff & Phelps maintained a breezy confidence last night as they confirmed their appeal for best and final offers had attracted four parties before the 5pm deadline. Brian Kennedy was not one of them – to the regret of some Rangers supporters – but he has not entirely removed himself from the picture. Kennedy's curious, peek-a-boo approach to this takeover continued as he said he would wait to see who was chosen as the preferred bidder before deciding whether to submit a revised offer himself. That could still be taken perfectly seriously – yesterday's 5pm deadline wasn't the be-all-and-end-all – and the Sale Sharks owner continues to give the impression of being more interested in owning Rangers than in immersing himself in the tedious procedure of bidding against others to get it.

There continues to be mutual appreciation between Kennedy and Murray/The Blue Knights. "I will not compete against the Blue Knights," he said yesterday. "But if the Blue Knights bid is rejected, and the bid accepted is going down the route of liquidation, I have left it open to the administrators to approach me to ask for an alternative bid. If I was them [the administrators] and they didn't choose the Blue Knights then I would think it would be sensible to contact me and see if my alternative bid is more acceptable.

"I am a reluctant bidder but I am much more reluctant to see Glasgow Rangers go into liquidation. People have asked me about teaming up with Blue Knights but by remaining independent, we could cover more bases."

Over the next few days it is likely that Paul Clark, David Whitehouse and the other Duff & Phelps staff at Rangers will hide themselves away in reading rooms to pore over the minutiae of bids which did reach them yesterday. It is certain that the four offers will contain umpteen clauses and conditions – perhaps looking to deliver a CVA if the club wins the big tax case, but liquidating and reforming as a newco if the liabilities are huge – and there soon may be emails and telephone calls across the planet to seek clarification and explanations on points which could have enormous significance.

Early next week they intend to make an announcement on what would be an exit strategy – for Duff & Phelps – and a possible view of the future for the football club. The identification of a preferred bidder could also lead to a period of exclusivity in which the administrators – for a non-refundable deposit – would guarantee to deal only with them and not discuss the takeover with any of the rival groups. The fee is not the £1m which has been speculated upon but it will be sizeable nonetheless and the bidders' willingness to pay it would be interpreted as another sign of their commitment to a takeover.

All Rangers' supporters want now is insight and information. Four groups put a foot on the Ibrox doorstep last night. It is only natural that many fans worry about three of them arriving there silently, cloaked in anonymity.