Philippe Clement admits that a Champions League jackpot would have a huge impact on his Rangers transfer budget.
The Ibrox side face Dynamo Kyiv in the first leg of their third qualifying round clash in Poland on Tuesday night.
Victory would line up a play-off against Austrians RB Salzburg or Dutch side FC Twente, with the second leg taking place just a few days before the summer transfer window slams shut.
With £40million up for grabs, Clement has prepared a list of targets in the event of Rangers reaching the group stage, with a second list of targets should they drop into the Europa League.
‘Of course, it’s a big world of difference,’ said the Belgian.
‘It could really vary what you’re trying to do at the end of the window. That’s why you need to be prepared for the two scenarios.
Philippe Clement speaks at a press conference in Poland ahead of Dynamo Kyiv clash
Defender Leon Balogun and Clement talk tactics in the Lublin Arena
Mohamed Diomande and his Rangers team-mates have a walk around the pitch
‘Also, in your talks with players, it’s really clear that in some cases it’s only possible when you get Champions League money.
‘It’s four really important games that you need to win or to qualify, so it’s a big road.
‘So let’s focus now on the first leg and to get a good result towards the second leg.
‘That’s what we need to do now and not to look at where we are in September. It’s now the beginning of August. We need to get the best out of the situation now. That’s very important.’
Under fire after dropping points in the opening league game of the season against Hearts on Saturday, Clement said he would have no fears over pitching in experienced Dutch defender Robin Propper for a baptism of fire against a Dynamo side who thrashed Partizan Belgrade 9-2 on aggregate in the second qualifying round.
‘No concerns about that. Vaclav (Cerny) showed it already against Hearts when he came in,’ said the Belgian.
‘Robin is fit but, of course, you come in and there’s a lot of things to do in that moment. Brexit didn’t help in that way, and I know from experience, you have to fill in so many papers to come into Scotland and live here.
Manager Clement gets a feel for the surface ahead of the crucial Euro tie
Rangers will miss Oscar Cortes, above left, who has been ruled out for four to five weeks
Balogun has his say as Rangers prepare for tie at Dynamo Kyiv’s temporary home
‘You need to find a house and a school for your kids. There’s a lot of things going on in his head also this last week, because he’s just a few days with us. So that’s something to take into consideration for the game tomorrow.
‘It’s the same thing with Vaclav. He had a four-week holiday and has now had four days of training with us. So it’s looking at what is the right moment to start with him, what is the right moment to let him come in.’
Winger Oscar Cortes is out for four to five weeks with a knee injury sustained in Saturday’s 0-0 draw at Tynecastle.
‘Oscar didn’t travel,’ said Clement after the Colombian winger underwent a scan. ‘It was a really unlucky fall in the duel, and his knee was twisted. It was particularly frustrating for him because he had that unlucky injury before last season.
‘Of course it’s a hard blow for him, for the team, because he was coming back and he’s going to become an important player for the future of the club.
‘He has got a lot of quality, he showed that last season. He was hungry to come back, he was on his way back. He was not at his best yet, but he showed already promising things again. So, yeah, it’s a blow, but it’s part of football. It’s not only with Rangers, it’s in every club in the world.
‘You can have bad collisions, you can have those things. You need to live with that and make a fast rehab. Everybody’s working hard on that. I think also the quality in our rehab is better than we had last season.’
Ianis Hagi also failed to travel after playing for the B team against Middlesbrough. Despite a lack of options in midfield, Clement admitted the Romanian midfielder does not feature in his plans and will be sold if an acceptable offer comes in.
‘We had clearly talked with him before the pre-season already, and with his agents, about that,’ said the Rangers manager.
‘We need to look, like I said, at a lot of things with the club, about wages, about how many players you can have in a position, with the budget that we have, and to get a budget to make transfers.
‘It was really clear that the idea is to sell. That’s what he wanted also. So, that’s the clear situation.’