MANAGING director Nick Thompson says Hull City will look to safeguard the club's long-term future during the summer transfer window and resist the urge to chase "short-term fixes" for the Premier League.
The Tigers have begun preparing for life back in the top flight with manager Steve Bruce drafting up his top targets that he hopes can strengthen his promotion-winning squad at the KC Stadium.
Up to six new signings will be sought this summer but George Boyd, who turned his loan deal from Peterborough into a permanent switch this week, has been the only confirmed addition to date.
Although talks are ongoing to land Ahmed Elmohamady from Sunderland in a £2m deal, Thompson does not currently envisage any new arrivals until mid-June.
City are aiming to be studious in their recruitment and the club's MD has stressed the summer project is designed to set up long-term prosperity.
"We want players who are with us for the long-term, not just a short-term pay cheque where if it goes wrong it'll be 'Thanks very much' and we're back to square one," Thompson told the Mail.
"Short-term fixes will get you into trouble in the Premier League. It's ensuring that whatever you do, it adds quality to the squad going forward.
"I think we'll be looking at perhaps four, five or six coming in. Maybe it will be slightly more, maybe slightly less, but it would be somewhere around that."
A wide array of names have been linked with City since automatic promotion to the Premier League was secured 26 days ago, with the emphasis predictably placed on recruiting a new keeper and a centre-forward.
Leicester's Kasper Schmeichel is known to be on Bruce's radar and will be pursued if he opts against signing a new deal at the King Power Stadium this summer.
Allan McGregor, who is seeking an exit from Turkish side Besiktas, is another under consideration for the number one shirt.
Burnley's Charlie Austin is a striker being tracked by Bruce, but links with Jordan Rhodes and Adam Le Fondre, of Blackburn and Reading respectively, currently have little substance.
Thompson would not be drawn on individual targets, but said: "It's safe to say we're in the process of getting our ducks lined up.
"I'd hope to see the first new signings going through by the middle of June, two or three weeks away.
"We might work quicker or we might have to wait on certain players, but transfer deals don't just happen.
"Even when we're talking to players now, they're keen to keep their options open. You're jostling for position at the moment and seeing where you end up standing."
Discussing Bruce's wish-list, he added: "The challenge with planning on the playing side is that it's a moving feast.
"Players become available all the time, they come into clubs, they drop out. Some clubs want to sell, some don't want to sell.
"The reality is that the international window doesn't open until the middle of June and the home window doesn't open until the start of July, so it's really about being prepared. Steve is away on holiday but we speak every day."
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