DAVE KING believes the current Rangers squad could be worth up to £200million as he predicted Ibrox sales at the end of the campaign.
Boss Steven Gerrard has added significant value to his squad in recent years and Rangers must now reap the rewards of that investment as they bid for Premiership success this season.
Three consecutive group stage appearances in the Europa League - and two successive qualifications from their section - have ensured a number of Gerrard's players will catch the eye of potential suitors.
And King reckons there will be a turnover of players at the end of the campaign as Rangers balance the books and begin the next phase of the project under Gerrard's guidance.
"I think it’s more than inevitable, I think it’s essential," King told STV Sport.
"The business model of Rangers as a successful club, the last couple of years, we were not a successful club, we were a catch-up club. We were investing – I stated this at each AGM – in resources way beyond the expected return to bridge the gap.
"But once you get back up there you can’t continue doing that so we have to become a trading company. I think we do have assets – for the first time – that we can trade. That’s going to become a key part of the manager’s job going forward, how to get resources out for value, bring resources in and not weaken the competitive spirit of the team.
"I get a value from [sporting director] Ross Wilson, I think I stated it at the last AGM, and I think it’s certainly gone up since then. If you were to give me a figure, I’d say it could even be as high as £200m, if you take the total squad.
"It comes back to the balance of being competitive. It’s a necessary business model but it comes with individual risks with individual players.
"You sell a player that helps you win a title and you don’t replace him with someone who can do the same job.
"So you make a bit of cash, but lose a title. That’s the job of the manager, Ross Wilson and the guys to figure that bit out."
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