angers' incredible signing spree seems set to continue this week with two more defenders in line to join the others who signed for the club on Thursday.

Then, the Ibrox club spent #5.6m on the Italian centre half Lorenzo Amoruso, from Fiorentina, and the Norwegian left back Stale Stensaas, from Rosenborg Trondheim. Now they await decisions over two more foreign players, the Inter-Milan captain Massimo Paganin and the Monaco captain Emmanuel Petit.

Offers of #4.5m have been made to both clubs and Rangers manager Walter Smith is in Monaco, where he hopes to meet Petit this week. Meanwhile, chairman David Murray awaits a decision from Inter over his bid for Paganin and, if the two deals go through, then Rangers will have spent close to #15m in the close season.

Nor will the spending necessarily end if these two players arrive. Another Italian, Gianluca Vialli, has asked the Scottish champions if they will end his torment at Chelsea, where he was dropped by manager Ruud Gullitt. However, whether the Ibrox club would take Vialli after he turned down their signing offer last summer is another matter.

Also, at 32 years of age, he does not fit the identikit that Murray and Smith have put together for the players they are importing. Rangers want younger players if there is a fee to be paid.

Jonas Thern is older than the other new signings, but he comes under freedom of contract from Roma and will cost the club only his personal terms. Murray has also confirmed that he made enquiries to Barcelona about Brazilian superstar Ronaldo.

A package was put in place involving Rangers' new sponsors, Nike, who also have the striker under contract, but Italy is perceived to be the player's destination when he leaves Spain.

Rangers, since the Graeme Souness revolution, have always led the way in the Scottish transfer market, but these latest moves are bigger and more glamourous than anything seen in this country before. Murray is clearly determined to have a team equipped to make its mark in Europe and one that will be ready for any Continental Super League when that finally comes into being.

Other players continue to be linked with Rangers and they include another Swedish World Cup internationalist, Stefan Schwarz, and the Parma goalkeeper, Luca Bucci. The German, Georg Koch, who was expected to sign at the end of last week, has now changed his mind about coming to Scotland and Rangers have moved their interest elsewhere.

Koch cited fears of homesickness for backing out of a move to Glasgow. ''Rangers made me a wonderful offer, but Glasgow is very far away from my home and they wanted me for five years,'' he said.

''No-one can tell what is going to happen in the next five years and it seemed a long time. Football is a massive part of my life, but my first aim is to make my wife Regina happy.

''I married her because I want to make her happy and I'm not sure she would be in Scotland. There is a different mentality in Scotland, a different language for her to learn and I don't think it would be right to take her away from her home.

''Also, my son Tobias is four years old and he is ready to start kindergarten - he, too, would find things very difficult.''

Koch is now set to join PSV Eindhoven. ''In Holland, everyone can understand the German language and I can step into my car and be back in my home within one hour of training,'' he said.

Meanwhile, when Rangers' first-team squad report back for training at the end of this month it will be vastly changed from the one that equalled Celtic's record of nine successive championships. Murray and Smith promised change, but no-one could have foreseen the extent of this latest Ibrox revolution that has been fuelled by the #40m shares deal the chairman agreed with Bahamas-based financier Joe Lewis.