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Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola will be backed to pursue January targets Martín Zubimendi and Bruno Guimarães to help save the club's season, sources have told ESPN, after the Premier League champions posted record revenues of £715 million ($906m) and a transfer profit of £139m in their annual financial report.
City, who won a fourth successive Premier League title last season, face neighbours Manchester United at the Etihad on Sunday having suffered a seventh defeat in 10 games when going down 2-0 to Juventus in the Champions League on Wednesday.
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With just one victory during that 10-game streak, City are struggling to avoid elimination from the Champions League and have also dropped to fourth in the Premier League, eight points behind leaders Liverpool.
But after making just two additions to the first-team squad during the summer -- winger Savinho arrived from fellow City Football Group side Troyes for £30.8 million and former captain Ilkay Gündogan returned to the club on a free transfer from Barcelona -- sources have said City are ready to bolster Guardiola's squad in January.
Guardiola has a long-term interest in Real Sociedad midfielder Zubimendi, who is regarded as a potential replacement for Ballon d'Or winner Rodri following his season-ending cruciate ligament injury, while Newcastle midfielder Guimarães is another player that the City manager has pursued in the past.
City are awaiting the outcome of a Premier League hearing into 115 charges for breaching the league's financial regulations -- the club deny all charges -- and the ongoing uncertainty over the possible sanctions could prevent potential new signings from moving to the Etihad.
But sources have said that City's huge transfer surplus will enable them to move freely in January to pursue Guardiola's targets.
City's financial figures, which included a £73.8m overall profit, including a £10.3m drop in wages to £412.5m due to last year's wage bill being inflated by bonuses for winning the Champions League.