Rangers manager Ally McCoist has hinted that the club will be unable to offer transfer fees for any of his targets during the January transfer window.
The Scottish League One side saw moves for Bosnian defender Boris Pandza and former Hearts captain Marius Zaliukas fail this week.
McCoist has said that he is uncertain if he will be allowed to spend money as the club aims to secure a return to the Scottish Premiership.
"It's my job to get the best possible team out on the park for the fans. Like any other manager I've got a budget to work within," Football365.com quotes McCoist as saying.
"Without doubt I am more mindful of what I spent after all the hardships we went through last year. I have to think about the long-term future of the club because we don't want what has already happened to happen again. But we're talking about [wage] budgets here, not even about transfer fees.
"I believe longer term, we will definitely need to spend once we get back to where we want to be. But I can understand the argument right now that we should have a team built within the budget limits to get through the divisions."
Rangers currently sit top of the Scottish League One table.