A group of Rangers players hoping to quit the troubled Scottish club have been told their prospective transfers are on hold due to a row over who owns their contracts.

Steve Davis, Kyle Lafferty, Jamie Ness, Steven Whittaker and Steven Naismith had lined up moves to teams across Europe after refusing to have their contracts transferred to a newly reformed Rangers following the club’s financial meltdown over the last six months.

Naismith has moved to Everton, Whittaker has signed for Norwich and Ness has joined Stoke.

Northern Ireland internationals Davis and Lafferty are at Southampton and Swiss side Sion respectively.

But, with Rangers hoping to secure compensation for losing the players, the Scottish FA will not provide international clearance for the transfers at present.

FIFA are expected to grant temporary registrations while the organisation makes a final ruling on the matter.

With the Glasgow team certain to start next season outside the Scottish Premier League as punishment for their cash crisis, most of the Ibrox outfit’s players have been keen to leave.

However, new Rangers owner Charles Green claims the players are not free agents and he sent letters to clubs warning them that the players who objected to joining the ‘newco’ were in breach of contract.

PFA Scotland solicitor, Margaret Gribbon, said: “It is no surprise. There are objections from Rangers plc and the newco.

“We knew it was going to happen. They were always going to do that and there is a process that now has to be followed.

“We are representing seven players – Steve Davis, Allan McGregor, Rhys McCabe, Sone Aluko, Jamie Ness, Kyle Lafferty and John Fleck.

“At the moment we are assisting two clubs to get clearance from FIFA and our application is being supported by letters from the English FA and PFA Scotland.”