Town are reported to be waiting on formal permission from their bank to start spending some of the cash freed up by the debt restructuring verbally agreed with their three biggest lenders - Barclays, Norwich Union and the Bank of Scotland.

Joe Royle has repeatedly made it clear that he plans to sign a left-back and one to two experienced strikers during the January transfer window. It is likely that some of those players will be loanees and there could be a new addition to the squad before the the FA Cup tie with Portsmouth on Saturday.

Southampton's Ricardo Fuller was reported to be top of the Town manager's list in the weekend tabloids.

Town could also receive more cash during January from Marcus Bent leaving Everton. Town included a sell-on clause on top of the £450,000 fee which took the much-travelled frontman to Goodison Park in the summer of 2004.

Charlton have been widely tipped to make a move for Bent during the transfer window, but Italian side Sampdoria are the latest club linked with the 27-year-old with a £3 million fee mentioned in a national newspaper.

Town's percentage of any profit Everton make on the £450,000 fee was not disclosed at the time of the Londoner's move to the Toffeemen.

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