What Dermot Desmond WON'T do after 49ers mega Rangers takeover as Celtic coffers burst with Champions League kitty

Celtic supremo Dermot Desmond won't give Brendan Rodgers the bumper Champions League pot this summer.

That is according to Paul Lambert with rivals Rangers in the midst of a blockbuster takeover spearheaded by Paraag Marathe and the San Francisco 49ers - with American business tycoon Andrew Cavenagh also playing a key role. The cash-rich NFL giants have already plunged millions into Leeds United in the English Championship and could do the same to turn around the crisis-hit Light Blues fortunes in the summer window - with a deal expected to be completed by June.

While Rangers have struggled on the pitch this term - with Philippe Clement facing up to the prospect of a trophyless campaign - Celtic have dominated once again domestically while also impressing in Europe's elite competition. The Champions League run ended in heartbreak at the playoff stage with Bayern Munich sending the Hoops crashing out in the final seconds at the Allianz Arena - with the Scottish champions banking around £38m before ticket sales and other commercial business are included.

But Lambert doesn't expect majority shareholder Desmond to gift Rodgers all of the riches earned by the club on their impressive European run, telling talkSPORT: “No, not a chance. The downfall for Celtic is that the league in Scotland isn’t the most powerful, as everybody knows.

"They can only beat what is in front of them. The club do great with the finances and they have really clever guys there, so they have to live within their means.

“They can’t go and buy somebody for £50 million. They can’t. It’s impossible. You can only go within your means. You don’t want to be bankrupt or liquidation and that. You have to look after themselves.

“They do that, fight within