McLeish plays down Blues spending

McLeish confirmed he has opened talks with Sporting Gijon midfielder Michel in a possible £3m deal. But the former Scotland boss insisted City's spending power was still below most of the other Premier League clubs ahead of Wednesday night's home meeting with Portsmouth. McLeish said: "It is premature to say we have done a deal for Michel. We have opened talks to see if we can do something. "But the 'Is' are not dotted and the 'Ts' are not crossed. "He is a good athlete, has terrific technique and touch which is what you would expect from a Spanish player. He would enhance the quality of the squad. "But I can only do what I can spending-wise and once that becomes impossible I will respect that and get on with things. "In terms of the budget, we have not spent £20m in transfer fees. That is ridiculous and rubbish. "We paid money for Scott Dann, Roger Johnson and Barry Ferguson, a loan fee for Joe Hart and a loan fee for Christian Benitez with a view to paying big money eventually if he does the business. "But people's expectations have to be managed. In terms of finance and comparing us with other clubs, we are still behind. But if we get the right result at the end of the season and stay up, then we can grow in strength."

Source: Team_Talk