Manchester City boss Mark Hughes is ready to get tough with his under-perfoming stars and is reportedly set to sell Micah Richards and Wayne Bridge in the January transfer window.

Defensive frailties have continued to undermine City's promising early season form with the Citizens drawing their last seven Premier League games which has seen them slip down to seventh in the table.

And Hughes is ready to make drastic changes come the New Year when the transfer door swings wide open - with new full-backs a top priority following the trials and tribulations of Richards and Bridge this season.

Richards, 21, has been a shadow of the player that burst onto the scene in 2006 amid reports of attitude problems and was given a harsh lesson by Ryan Giggs in an enthralling Manchester derby back in September.

Hughes is said to have grown tired of the stopper and is said to be willing to listen to offers in January, with Tottenham, Aston Villa and Manchester United all reportedly monitoring the situation closely.

Bridge meanwhile, has also endured a torrid season to date and was woeful in City's 3-3 draw with Burnley last month and could even be dropped in favour of Sylvinho for the Carling Cup quarter-final clash with Arsenal on Wednesday evening.

The 29-year-old looks to have lost a yard of pace in recent times and despite arriving at Eastlands in a £14million deal just 11 months ago is already playing for his future at the club.

Hughes is already said to have lined up Ajax's buccaneering right-back Gregory Van der Wiel and is also an admirer of Osasuna's highly-rated duo Cesar Azpilicueta and Nacho Monreal.