Chelsea boss Luiz Felipe Scolari wants transfer crunch talks with club owner Roman Abramovich.
The Mirror says Scolari is desperate for attacking reinforcements to strengthen their title bid.
But Russian billionaire Abramovich has made it clear that Scolari must sell before he can buy in January, even though the Blues boss believes they need to add to the squad rather than just balance the books.
Big Phil offloaded six players in the summer and missed out on Robinho on the final day of the August transfer window, leaving his plans one major player short.
He fancies Marseille winger Hatem Ben Arfa and several big-name strikers, including Sevilla's Luis Fabiano and CSKA Moscow striker Vagner Love.
Scolari wants assurances from Abramovich that there is money available.