Gillingham manager Neil Harris admits the money being spent on players by some of their rivals is unbelievable.

While Harris is working to a sustainable budget, he doesn’t believe others are.

• Gills to play Premier League opposition

He said: “I can’t believe what seven or eight clubs are paying to sign players and that’s not even talking about the National League, the league below, when teams go and buy players out of League 1 and League 2 and triple their salaries.

“It is really tough, that is no issue for me, or for the chairman budget-wise, it is just pure fact that teams spend a hell of a lot of money.

“How they do it, I don’t know because there are profit and sustainability rules and that is down to them. They must be putting the long-term future of the football club in jeopardy to do it.

“That is what we have to compete with and we have to make sure we find the players at the right time and the right value and we will continue to look.”

Harris wants a 20-man squad to work with and is gradually getting closer to the numbers he wants. Striker Mikael Mandron’s arrival on Monday took the number to 15, although that does include first-year pro Bailey Akehurst, who could go out on loan.

Gillingham still need additions at both ends of the pitch. Harris hasn’t rushed into deals as he wants to get more right than wrong.

He said: “It has been frustrating because I am impatient and because I want good players and [I’m] frustrated because I work with integrity and honesty at all times, without fail. Some agents and football clubs don’t and that is what frustrates me.

“I am not frustrated with us as a football club whatsoever. I took the job knowing the remit, we are working to that and again integrity comes into it.

“We work within the boundaries and parameters. If we miss out on players because of it, absolutely fine, there is nothing we can do about it. If teams have got more money than us, then so be it.”

Gillingham were due to play a behind-closed-doors friendly against a Championship side yesterday (Wednesday) and host League 1 Portsmouth at Priestfield this Saturday (1pm).

“What a challenge,” said Harris. “Portsmouth were very good at the end of last season when they beat us 3-1.

“They will be very good this year under Danny Cowley (the Pompey manager).

“They will be fit. It will be competitive because they will come to win and it will be an opportunity for us, for the fans in particular, to see the new lads that we have signed and for the new lads to play in front of the fans for the first time.”