The Ibrox club rejected a confirmed £6.5million bid from Leicester City for the Croatian but there was fevered speculation, thought to have emanated from Govan, that an unnamed club had made a £9million before the transfer window closed last night which was similarly rebuffed.

However, Lawwell, speaking at Hampden where Gordon Brown, former Prime Minister and MP for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath, was announced as patron on the Johnny Thomson memorial committee, got a laugh when he said, tongue-in-cheek: "Well, last night we got a £29million offer for (Gary) Hooper.

"From an unknown agent, from an unknown club, from another universe."

More seriously, Lawwell, who signed Morocco left-back Badr El Kaddouri on a six-month loan deal from Dynamo Kiev, added: "We didn't give any encouragement.

"There were offers, there was strong interest but when we started out at the start of the window we wanted to keep that team together and we are delighted to have done that and added in areas we need to add."