Ally McCoist, Walter Smith and Kenny McDowall led Rangers to success

Rangers manager Walter Smith hopes that winning the Scottish Premier League title will allow him to hold on to his top players this summer.

Smith had been told in January he would have to sell some of his top performers because of financial constraints.

A summer exodus was expected after there were no big-money departures during the previous transfer window.

"It gives us the choice of what's going to happen rather than being at the mercy of people coming in," said Smith.

"That's the one good thing about the automatic qualification for the Champions League and the money that comes along with it.

"So hopefully, once we sit down and talk about that situation, it can help alleviate quite a few of the problems we were going to have."

But the Rangers boss admits that his squad will still have to be trimmed ahead of the new campaign.

Barry Ferguson has just a year of his contract still to run, so everybody will have to sit down and have a think about what they're going to do Rangers manager Walter Smith

"We have 28 players, which is too many," he said. "Some went out on loan in the January transfer window, which cut it down a little bit.

"But we have to cut it down and try to work within a more comfortable group. That means, regardless of financial situations, cutting one or two players, maybe more, from that.

"We've got one or two younger boys from Murray Park who are going to step up and be involved in the first team next year."

Striker Kris Boyd rejected a transfer to Birmingham in January, went on to finish the season in fine form and former Rangers manager Alex McLeish is expected to rekindle his interest now that he has led his team back to the Premier League.

Meanwhile, defender Madjid Bougherra and midfielder Pedro Mendes, who have both previously played in England, have reportedly attracted interest from the top-flight south of the Border.

Barry Ferguson was stripped of the captaincy and looked unlikely to play for Rangers again after being suspended for misbehaviour while on Scotland duty.

Smith brought back the 31-year-old for the final two games of the season and Ferguson lifted the league trophy along with new captain David Weir at Tannadice on Sunday, but the manager would not be drawn on the player's future.

"It's too early to say what's going to happen," he said after posing with the trophy at Ibrox with assistant Ally McCoist and coach Kenny McDowell.

"Barry has just a year of his contract still to run, so everybody will have to sit down and have a think about what they're going to do.

"Players have decisions to make in that respect as well as clubs at the moment because of the Bosman ruling. We will just wait and see."

Smith will also hold contract talks with Weir over the coming weeks and, at the age of 39, the Scotland defender looks set to remain at Rangers for another year.

"He has defied logic as it is at the present moment," said Smith.

"Hopefully he can keep going. If there is any player I know who can, it's him.

"Davie and I have a good agreement where we just talk to each other at the end of each season.

"Davie has still got his family in England, so I'll sit down in the next week or so with him and see what he wants to do."

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