Manchester City chiefs held a transfer meeting hours before Saturday's victory over Newcastle as they look to close in on a deal for Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder Fred.
Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak, sporting director Txiki Begirisatin and chief executive Ferran Soriano discussed targets, including West Brom's Jonny Evans.
There remain obstacles to overcome in the hunt for Evans, who is valued in the region of £20million, with Pep Guardiola hopeful of adding a new central defender this month.
City would be willing to move to other targets, which are thought to include Real Sociedad's Inigo Martinez, should outstanding matters with the Evans talks prove unresolvable.