Source: SKY_Sports
Hughes refuses to set target
Mark Hughes is wary of revealing his ambitions for his progressive Manchester City side next term.
The Blues are expected to spend big this summer, with Gareth Barry's recent arrival from Aston Villa tipped to be the first of many.
A host of big names have been linked with a move to Eastlands, generating an air of expectation around the blue half of Manchester.
Supporters believe the 2009/10 campaign could be the one for City to make inroads towards the summit of the Premier League table, with a top-four challenge widely touted.
City's wealthy Middle Eastern owners have declared that they would settle for a Europa League spot, but Hughes has opted against publicly announcing his targets.
"We are looking at realistic targets," said the Welsh coach.
"We are not going to box ourselves in and say we will definitely do something because football is a fickle sport and things can come crashing down.
"But if we get the players we are looking to get in this window, the ambition will be to be more successful than this club has ever been in the Premier League.
"If we can achieve that, towards the end of the season there may be opportunities to kick on."
Hughes admits he is still trailing a number of potential transfer targets and remains keen to conduct his business as quickly as possible.
"It is fair to say we are looking to address some areas of the
team," he added.
"Getting players in early was part of our plan and we are quite happy at how the window is developing."
Meanwhile, City have confirmed the opening game of their three-match summer tour of South Africa will now be played in Polokwane.
The 18th July meeting with Orlando Pirates was due to take place in Cape Town but sponsorship issues meant a new venue had to be found and organisers plumped for the Peter Mokaba Stadium, which will host four games during next year's World Cup.
