Sunderland boss Gus Poyet is set to discuss their January market plans this week.
The Evening Chronicle says Poyet will take advantage of the international break - and the temporary respite from the usual pressures of the Premier League - to meet football chief Lee Congerton and discuss targets for the transfer window.
Poyet knows he needs to bring in reinforcements, having made it clear since the summer transfer window closed on September 1 that his squad is short of numbers.
"We're watching plenty of things for January," he said.
"We [Poyet and Congerton] met after Southampton - that was the original date set - but after 15 minutes of the meeting, I said to them, 'boys this is not the right week to meet!'
"At that moment in time, I said I need this, this, this, this, this, this and this after losing 8-0!
"But we did at least manage to go through the basics and we will meet to talk again this week.
"We've been watching a certain quantity of players in certain positions for a while.
"Now, it's time to meet.
"Last year, we put a time-scale on when we would start moving forward.
"So in the next two or three weeks, we'll start getting in contact with clubs and agents and see where we get to."
