Hughes still keen on Terry deal

Manchester City manager Mark Hughes has admitted he still hopes to lure Chelsea captain John Terry to Eastlands.

City have already seen one bid for Terry turned down by Chelsea but Hughes says he has not given up hope.

"He's obviously the type

of player and the calibre of player we need if we're going to progress and compete at the top level," he told BBC Sportsweek.

"There may be a point that we concede but I don't think we're at that point as yet."

City have had an active summer in the transfer market, signing Gareth Barry, Roque Santa Cruz, Carlos Tevez and Emmanuel Adebayor in an £80m spree, but Hughes confirmed they are unlikely to be the last arrivals at Eastlands.

"We're still in the market for players - we're looking to strengthen all areas of the team," he said.

"We've invested in the attacking side of our squad, added to our strength in midfield and obviously we'd like to address defensive areas now.

"We're still looking for quality players that will help us in the future."

Hughes confirmed they had had a bid for Joleon Lescott turned down by Everton but laughed off speculation linking his club with England midfielder David Beckham, who made his name at City's big rivals Manchester United.

One former Manchester United player who has moved from the red to the blue side of the city this summer is Tevez, but Hughes said the United connection was not relevant to his decision to sign the Argentine striker.

"What I saw was an outstanding football player that could become available at the end of a loan spell with a competing club," said Hughes, himself a United striker.

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"We're all absolutely delighted that he chose to join us. It's a big move for him, what with his connection to Manchester United, but he understands what we're trying to do and he's really excited by the prospect.

"For us to be able to attract a world class striker, which Carlos obviously is, is a real feather in our cap and we're absolutely thrilled that he's with us."

Hughes, who confirmed that Micah Richards is on the road to recovery after a bout of swine flu, admitted the club have high ambitions but that they are not expecting instant success.

"We have a plan that we feel, if we can get the right players in, will enable us to be competitive," he said.

"We can't come out with bold statements - 'we will definitely do this in X amount of seasons'. It's very difficult to predict but what we can say is there's a will to try and compete at the top table in the English Premier League and beyond."