Gerrard declined to comment specifically on his interest in Hearts striker Kyle Lafferty but confirmed efforts to add to the 10 players Rangers have already recruited this summer are “ongoing”.

Hearts booted out Rangers’ initial bid of around £200,000 for Lafferty and are understood to value the Northern Ireland international at closer to £750,000.

Gerrard, who also wants to add another central defender to his first team squad before the transfer window closes at the end of the month, is eager to complete his business as quickly as possible.

Rangers manager Steven Gerrard addresses the media. Picture: Rob Casey/SNS

“We haven’t got much time left and I think every manager out there is in a rush,” said Gerrard.

“But at the same time, we won’t make rushed decisions. If the right person is not out there or the deal is not right or we can’t get it over the line, that’s just the way it is. We have to make sure the right people are coming in the door.

“It’s no secret we are trying to strengthen in one or two areas. The idea is to have two good players to cover each position. We are not far away from that.

“In the coming weeks, I think you’ll see a stronger Rangers XI and bench compared to last year. I’m confident of that.

“You will also see people who are good footballers struggling to make the matchday squad of 18. And that’s how we want it. We want healthy competition and people pushing each other.

“The XI will change a lot over the 40 or 60 games, however many we might play, everyone has to be ready when called upon.

“We still want to add a few targets into the group, which are ongoing. But I won’t be mentioning names or players that belong to different football clubs. I don’t think that is right. But there are a couple of targets that we are after that are ongoing.”

The earlier closure of the transfer window in England this year, on 9 August, may free up other signing opportunities for Scottish clubs in the rest of the month but Gerrard would prefer not to wait.

“We are hoping to do it ourselves,” he added. “We don’t want to be relying on when other people are done.

“We have our targets we want to bring in and we are looking to do it as quick as we can. The quicker we get them in, done, sorted, the quicker they settle, the quicker they get on board with how we want to play.

“The focus is very much on us and not what teams in England are doing. We just want to get our business done as quickly as we can.”

Rangers boss Steven Gerrard says he's close to new signings