Sunderland boss Steve Bruce believes the English transfer market could kick into action if Manchester City buy off a Premier League rival.
Bruce believes there could be knock-on effect should some high-profile transfers occur between clubs in England.
He told safc.com: "The spenders at the moment are Man City, but unfortunately they're not buying players from the Premier League so the money isn't washing back into England.
"Usually there's a knock-on so maybe if there's a few big moves within the Premier League that will kick-start things.
"It's very quiet at the moment and everyone is still jostling for position.
"Last year, we did our best work in August with Darren Bent, Michael Turner and Lee Cattermole coming in. I'm not surprised it has been slow."
