Reading manager Jaap Stam has said that the club must be "inventive" in the January transfer window with the club's takeover situation still unresolved.

The Royals are expected to be sold to Chinese siblings Dai Yongge and Dai Xiu Li in the coming weeks, but the deal is likely to arrive too late to provide transfer funds to aid in the club's promotion push.

Stam has been linked with the likes of Scott Hogan, Jordon Mutch and Thulani Serero this month and is believed to be close to agreeing a deal for Liverpool defender Tiago Ilori.

"We're always looking for certain players with experience and who can make a difference," Stam told getreading. "And also for young players who maybe doesn't cost that much. But with the quality we have with the technical staff we can improve them and make them a better player, like we've already done now with certain players.

"So we are always looking for certain options and of course we are looking for certain players for the squad in January but we need to have a look at the budget and speak to the owners in what we can do. What we can't do like certain papers are writing is put offers in for £9m or £10m for certain players. We don't have that kind of money so we need to be inventive in how we solve that.

"I've only spoken to the current owners. Tiger is the owner of the club and to do well he is willing to invest to bring players in and strengthen the squad. But we've still got quite a few days to think about that and to make our choices so hopefully we can do something."

Stam went on to dismiss speculation linking the club with a move for Brentford striker Hogan, who is instead close to sealing a £15m switch to West Ham United.

"That's out of our league, we can't do that," he added. "You've got Newcastle, Aston Villa and Norwich with all this money from the TV rights and Premier League so they can put offers in like that. But we can't do that."

Reading are currently third in the Championship table, six points behind second-placed Newcastle United with a game in hand.