Former footballer Frank McAvennie has claimed that Rangers manager Michael Beale will probably have to sell players first if he wants any new signings this winter. 

What's the word?

With the January transfer window now open, the Ibrox outfit have already been linked with some exciting new deals. For instance,  Wolves defender Dion Sanderson has been tipped as a target recently.

However, it shouldn't be forgotten that Rangers may have a few financial struggles to overcome in the near future. The club are currently dealing with the fact that the Sydney Super Cup organisers have attempted to sue them for £1.6m after they pulled out of the friendly tournament in Australia at short notice.

With things like that in mind, McAvennie has claimed that chairman Douglas Park won't be keen to splash the cash this winter and so Beale might have to stick with the squad he already has.

He told Football Insider: “The pressure is really on them.

“They are talking about buying players but I do not know if they have got the money to buy players without getting people out. There is not a bottomless pit at the moment.

“They have got lawsuits coming out their ears, that is going to cost them money. I do not know where they will get the money from. The chairman will tell Beale to get on with the squad that he has got.“

A quiet January incoming?

On top of that Sydney Super Cup trouble, the Scottish Daily Express also report that Rangers could also be sued for £9.5m by the administrators of the Elite Sports Group amid claims they breached a contract related to the provision of their kits.

And so it's no shock to hear McAvennie suggests that the club have 'lawsuits coming out their ears' right now and that this could halt any plans to spend big in January.

There has been some talk that the club could look to cash in on Alfredo Morelos this winter but with his contract expiring in the summer anyway, it remains to be seen how much money he could bring in.

All in all, it sounds as though those hoping for a big Ibrox spending spree this month may well be disappointed.