Manchester City boss Mark Hughes is ready to splash out in January on three major signings.
The Daily Mail says it is understood that Hughes, who spent more than £120million this summer, has been given the go-ahead by the club's owners to take the next step in the New Year after he made it clear that his squad still need a right back, a left back and another creative midfielder.
With Hughes' team likely to be in or around the Champions League places in January, chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak has indicated to the manager that he will be given whatever it takes to ensure qualification for next season's competition.
The lure of Champions League football will also make it easier to attract star names to Eastlands, something that handicapped the club when they tried to sign John Terry from Chelsea and Kaka from AC Milan last January.
Manchester City boss Mark Hughes is chasing Barcelona pair Carles Puyol and Eric Abidal - and will move for the defensive duo as early as January.
The Daily Mail says Hughes is known to be an admirer of Barcelona pair Carlos Puyol and Eric Abidal. The duo are 31 and 30-years-old respectively, something that would place immediate question marks over their ability to settle quickly to the pace and fury of the Premier League, but with the Catalan club so keen to sign Robinho in January the potential for a player-plus-cash deal is obvious.
City are not looking to push Robinho out of the door but the Brazilian may struggle to win a regular place when he recovers from a stress fracture of a leg in a couple of weeks.