Hughes manages expectations

Mark Hughes has told Manchester City fans not to expect the club to sign several superstars in January.

In three days since the Abu Dhabi United Group for Development and Investment bought the club, City have already broken the British transfer record to sign Robinho and they have hinted they would be interested in the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Fernando Torres and Cesc Fabregas.

But Hughes has pointed out money will not tempt every player to the club.

He said: "There are exceptionally talented players around that we would bring to the club if they were made available. The difficulty will be getting the clubs to release those players.

"We obviously are talking about players whose clubs are involved in the Champions League. They may not be very receptive to losing those players midway through a Champions League season.

"Maybe it will be more difficult in January than people realise. But we will pursue targets we can realistically get."

In the summer, Ronaldinho turned down a move to City in favour of the Italian giants Milan, even though it was reported City offered a larger salary and a bigger transfer fee.

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