Rangers transfer spend frozen ahead of Club Brugge clash - Finance expert
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Ben Palmer
Wed 27 August 2025 13:31, UK
Rangers’ summer business is in stasis until they know which European competition they will be competing in this season.
That is according to football finance expert Dan Plumley, who told Football Insider exclusively that the Bears’ spending power would be dictated by which competition they qualify for.
A disastrous opening half hour at Ibrox led to Rangers’ 3-1 defeat against Club Brugge in the first leg of their Champions League qualifier.
The Bears have invested heavily this summer, signing 11 new players for new manager Russell Martin.
However, results have been underwhelming so far and the ex-Southampton boss is winless in the Premiership through his first three games.
Martin will be keen to add further talent to his squad, but Rangers may be limited in the kind of players they can attract without Champions League football.
The Bears travel to Bruges knowing that a win could be worth tens of millions of pounds in revenue.
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And with the 1 September transfer deadline closing in, Rangers will be desperate to secure the guaranteed finances that the Champions League can offer.
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This article contains exclusive comment from Dan Plumley, a football finance expert and senior lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University.
Plumley previously explained to Football Insider that Champions League football would be worth £26million to Rangers.
And according to the finance expert, the Bears’ transfer business is still “up in the air” without the guarantee of that revenue.
Plumley explained: “It’s tricky in terms of the timing, because that’s still a little bit up in the air until you know whether or not you’re going to be in that competition.
But in terms of how much more they could spend.
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“That’s gonna be, for me, purely driven by what happens in that final qualifying stage, and if they do get through, you’d expect them to go and spend some of that money they’re gonna get.
“If they don’t, they might have to change their focus a little bit.”
As the Champions League revenue will dictate Martin’s transfer budget going forward, the Bears may instead look to the free agent market.
Rangers are interested in signing Jamie Vardy, and the striker is open to a move to the Premiership this season, Mick Brown told Football Insider exclusively.
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However, the Gers are facing competition from Celtic to sign the former England international.
Neither of the Old Firm sides have looked potent in attack this season and Vardy would be an upgrade for either side.