Rangers yesterday confirmed they were facing court action from HMRC over an ongoing query which is believed to centre around offshore payments to players.

Such payments became common practice at many big clubs in Britain from the late 1990s, when some players set up companies to receive image rights payments which supplemented their salary.

While the top rate of their salary was taxed at 40% and now 50%, the image-rights payments would often be untaxed if paid to offshore companies.

Rangers will "robustly" defend the case on the basis of expert tax advice.

And Pete Hackleton, associate director of consultancy firm RSM Tenon, believes clubs who properly valued the image rights should have little to fear.

"In a lot of cases where we have seen these contracts set up, they have been done on a commercial basis," said Hackleton.

"A lot of thought has gone into the use of images to put a valuation on that and there is definitely a commercial rationale.

"Where a club have done that and documented those decisions, I think they have a strong defence against the HMRC. In many cases the image value is justified.

"Where clubs might have a problem is if they have rushed through contracts.

"After the transfer window was brought in, a lot of deals have been rushed through.

"At the last minute an agent might suggest making payments to an image rights company, and that's where the potential problems might lie."