Rangers in £30m claim as ‘spicy’ Champions League qualifier mooted
Rangers could be handed a “spicy” Champions League qualifier against French side Marseille, according to the Daily Record’s Robbie Copeland.
The Gers go into the competition at the third qualifying round after finishing second in the 2022/23 Scottish Premiership.
And one potential team they could meet this summer is Marseille, who would stand in the way of Rangers hitting a £30million jackpot, according to the Daily Record.
“The last time Rangers met Marseille in the Champions League was 1993; they finished second behind them in Group A. Marseille went on to win it,” Copeland wrote for the Daily Record.
“Mark Hateley has since claimed he was offered a bribe not to play in the second meeting in France, a 1-1 draw that ultimately cost Rangers their place in the next round.
“There’s history here and with a playoff round meeting very plausible, it could be a spicy tie.”
Huge clash
Whoever Rangers are drawn against, it will be a huge clash for the Scottish club, who will be desperate to get their new campaign off to the best possible start.
Heads may already drop if the club do not make it to this season’s Champions League group stages, with manager Michael Beale definitely eager to enjoy a strong run in the competition.
The boss will be keen to reach the groups not only to test his club against the very best teams in Europe, but also in terms of the amazing financial incentive on offer.
There is also the added factor that fierce rivals Celtic will be there, with Beale not wanting to fall any further behind the Bhoys.
But reaching the group stages will be an extremely tricky task for the Gers, as they have found out before, with plenty of other clubs aware of just how lucrative a place in Europe’s premier competition can be.
In other Rangers news, former Gers striker Marco Negri has offered a phone call to one player to help him complete a “dream” move to Ibrox.