The clock is ticking. Three months on from the arrival of Jefte that fired the starting gun for the summer, Rangers are edging towards the finishing line. As Philippe Clement says, it is a marathon and not a sprint.

Seven players have followed Jefte in putting pen-to-paper at Ibrox, while January recruit Mohamed Diomande converted his loan move into a permanent switch. The last days of business will see Clement complete his final deals, but Rangers will still be a work in progress this season.

Read more: Check all the Rangers transfer news & rumours throughout the transfer window

“I expect a busy week, but more busy in incoming and a few outgoing,” Clement said after the 6-0 win over Ross County on Saturday. “But outgoing not for players who are in the squad today. That's clear. More outgoing for players who are not in the squad.”

Here, the Rangers Review looks at what business still needs to be done. Who will go and who will stay? Come 11pm on Friday, will Rangers be hopeful challengers or potential champions?

No change between the sticks

Three keepers have left this summer but the man that supporters most feared departing is still at the club. Clement insisted in pre-season that Jack Butland was not for sale and there have been surprisingly few links with a move away. An approach from Nottingham Forest in January has not been followed by any other bids from across the border and Butland reaffirmed his commitment to Rangers earlier this month.

Jon McLaughlin departed at the end of his contract and Kieran Wright moved to Airdrieonians on loan. Robby McCrorie had been denied an exit in January despite submitting a transfer request and he was finally granted his wish this summer. McCrorie moved to Kilmarnock for the good of his aspirations for club and country and was replaced by Liam Kelly. He signed a two-year contract after returning from the European Championship in June. No other business is expected.

Another centre-back is needed

Jefte was in the building before it was announced that Borna Barisic would be leaving it. Leon Balogun signed a one-year deal to provide continuity at the back and Clinton Nsiala arrived in Glasgow after opting to leave AC Milan. The Frenchman had interest in his homeland as well as Serie A and the Bundesliga and is seen as one for the future at Ibrox.

Strengthening the centre-back area has been one of the priorities of the window. The pursuit of Jose Cordoba was lengthy and eventually futile, as revealed by the Rangers Review. The Panamanian swithered about committing himself to Rangers despite travelling to Glasgow to take in a game last season. He eventually signed with Norwich City after his Rangers move collapsed in late May.

It took until early August for another defender to arrive as Robin Propper joined from FC Twente. A clause in his contract allowed Rangers to secure a cut-price deal for the captain but it was the departure of Connor Goldson to Aris Limassol that freed up the squad space and wages for Propper to arrive. That has been a theme of the window.

Robin Propper joined from FC Twente earlier in the window (Image: SNS)

A couple of weeks on, the same situation materialised with Ben Davies and the Englishman moved to Birmingham City on loan over the weekend. He will now be replaced by another central option in the coming days. Clement ruled out signing a left-back to cover for the injured Ridvan Yilmaz, while a right-back is not expected to arrive despite a period of huge speculation - and a rejected bid from Trabzonspor - regarding the future of club captain James Tavernier.

Adam Devine will be allowed to leave if he can secure a deal elsewhere, as will Leon King. Devine is in the final year of his terms, while King is contracted until May 2026.

More midfield quality is a must

Connor Barron has arguably been the pick of the summer recruits so far. Another midfield addition is a must, however, if Clement is to have the required options for the challenges domestically and in the Europa League. There were strong links to Scotland star Kenny McLean earlier in the window but that move didn’t progress. Joan Jordan, the Sevilla midfielder, was also repeatedly spoken about as a target. The Rangers Review revealed on July 28 that the Spaniard would not be joining. Hannibal Mejbri was touted for a move but interest from Clement was never established as dozens of names swirled around the club.

The Belgian needs another man in. John Lundstram and Ryan Jack exited at the end of their contracts and Kieran Dowell would be allowed to leave if a suitor came to the table. Jose Cifuentes has joined Aris Thessaloniki on loan, with the Greek side having the option to buy at the end of the term.

Nicolas Raskin was injured in the pre-season fixture with Ajax and only returned to training this week. A No.6 would be a more than useful addition to Clement’s squad. The middle of the pitch has strength, but not enough depth at present. It is expected Rangers will look to address that situation.

Is the attack set in stone?

So much of the window has revolved around the No.10 position. This is arguably the main area that must be strengthened before the close of business. Before that can happen, two high-profile playmakers must leave Ibrox.

Ianis Hagi was informed at the start of the summer that there would be no future for him under Clement. The Romanian does not fit Clement’s style but contractual issues – which would see Hagi due a wage rise – mean the 25-year-old will not make his 100th appearance for Rangers. Rapid Bucharest and Universitatea Craiova have both been linked with a move but a return to his homeland is not on the cards.

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The situation with Hagi is the same but different to the one involving Todd Cantwell. The Englishman informed Clement last month that he wished to leave the club and he did not feature during the summer trip to Holland. Unlike Hagi, Cantwell has not played in any fixtures for the B Team, with Clement confirming on Friday that the decision was not made by him. There have been more Instagram posts than solid links offering potential escape routes for a player Clement revealed didn't want to stay in Scotland.

Tom Lawrence looks to have convinced Clement he merits a squad place heading into the final months of his deal. Alex Lowry has not, however, and, like fellow academy graduate King, has attracted English interest. Rangers need at least one recruit at No.10.

On the flanks, Oscar Cortes arrived early in the window. Once Sam Lammers was offloaded, Vaclav Cerny signed. Rangers had a long interest in bringing Abdallah Sima back to Ibrox but he joined Brest last week. Links to Tiago Gouveia are unlikely to now mature into a deal. It is understood that no offer has been made for Ibrahim Adel, the Egyptian Under-23 forward, although Rangers are aware of the player's situation at Pyramid FC.

It is clear that Clement is looking for another wide option as he looks to offload Scott Wright. While there is Championship interest in Rabbi Matondo, no concrete bids have followed and Clement confirmed on Saturday after a double of goals and assists that he expects the Welshman to stay in Glasgow.

A striker was the want of many supporters before a deal was done this summer. Speculation surrounding Lawrence Shankland reached a crescendo once again but Clement has never been sold on the Scotland striker. It is no surprise that particular move hasn’t gone anywhere.

Hamza Igamane has yet to be seen, while Danilo will be given the chance to fully recover from his knee injury. Cyriel Dessers was the subject of interest earlier in the window after the Rangers Review reported the board wanted to get their outlay of £4.5million back on him. Dessers rejected a move to Atlanta United last week and is unlikely to leave. As a result, a No.9 is not expected to arrive.