Gillingham manager Gareth Ainsworth on the challenges the club face from big-spending teams elsewhere in League Two

Gillingham manager Gareth Ainsworth believes League Two is shaping up to be as competitive as ever, with several promotion rivals flexing their financial muscle in the transfer market.

The Gills have strengthened with seven new signings this summer and are expected to add up to four more players before the transfer window closes on September 1.

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But Ainsworth is under no illusions about the challenge ahead, pointing to the ambitious recruitment of clubs such as Salford City and Port Vale.

Salford have backed new boss Peter Cklamovski with some eye-catching additions, none more so than the arrival of Macaulay Langstaff from Millwall for an undisclosed fee.

Langstaff’s goals fired his old team Notts County to promotion from the National League and he then netted 29 goals in League Two - prompting a move to Millwall. His latest transfer fee and rumoured wages at Salford have left fans elsewhere wishing they had the same spending power.

Salford lost out in last season’s play-off final and are determined to go one better this time around under a new boss.

Port Vale came straight back down from League One but have pulled in former Gills captain Kyle Dempsey as they seek an immediate return to the third tier.

Dempsey was a class act at the Gills and then went on to make over 150 appearances for Bolton over three and a half seasons, helping his former team to promotion from League One.

Newly promoted York City have returned Dipo Akinyemi to their ranks – a striker once on Gillingham’s radar – while relegated Rotherham United will hope former MK Dons forward Aaron Nemane can help fire them back to League 1.

Crawley Town finished just a point in front of the relegation places in