City head into next month’s transfer window aiming to recoup the loss from missing out on a cup run.

Mark Lawn revealed that they had hoped to offset an increase in Phil Parkinson’s player kitty for League One with funds raised from the knock-out competitions.

But last year’s Wembley finalists fell at the first hurdle of all three cups – leaving them with a shortfall that the board are now looking to cover. Parkinson will be eyeing January additions to his squad but others have to go.

Joint-chairman Lawn also hinted that City may try to rework long-term structured deals to get them paid early. They are entitled to “add-ons” for the likes of Andre Wisdom when he joined Liverpool as a youngster.

Lawn said: “You’ve got to be realistic. We gave a stretched budget that we couldn’t afford and we did that hoping that we got through the cups.

“We haven’t done that, so we’re going to have to readjust it with something else. There are various options and that’s what we’re working on.

“I don’t know if January is going to be a busy month. But we will certainly have to look at readjusting the budget somewhere along the line.

“That might involve someone that’s not at the club and maybe doing a deal with someone who owes us money. We might be able to do something to get it at a discount rate.

“Or it might well be someone that’s here. We’ve got to look at that but we do it every year.

“When we ask Phil for what budget he wants, we then spell out what will happen when we get to the situation where we are. Everybody knows where they stand.”

The future of Nahki Wells is expected to dominate the next transfer window at Valley Parade but Lawn does not see it as a distraction for the player or the club.

“I don’t think it will be,” he added. “Nahki’s getting his head down because he wants to concentrate on his football and play as high as he can, like every professional.

“We’d like to sign Nahki up for another couple of years but that’s up to him. We’ve wanted to talk to him about it but he’s got to do what he wants.

“If there’s any way we could sign up Nahki for another year or two, I think that would be the best move for Bradford City. But we don’t know where we are at present.”

Northampton are keen to make Ricky Ravenhill’s loan move permanent and others who could leave next month include Andy Gray, Alan Connell and Caleb Folan.

That would make some room in the wage bill, which is nudging the 60 per cent limit of total income imposed by the new financial fair play rules.

Lawn said: “We are right at the upper limits so anyone coming in would depend on who went and how much money that would clear.

“Not having a go at anyone else, but we’ve got to make sure we don’t get in a (financial) situation like the Bulls.

“I think there are quite a few clubs who wish they were in our position. But it’s got to be managed sensibly and that’s down to Julian (Rhodes) and I to do.”