Albion may have to shatter their transfer record again to add to their strike force in the January transfer window.

Boss Chris Hughton expects prices to be even higher in the New Year than in the summer window, when the Seagulls missed out on several forward targets.

Reports have linked them with a £20 million bid for Celtic marksman Moussa Dembele.

Hughton said: "If they are the figures being mentioned then that's very big money.

"We make no secret that our recruitment department is still working as hard as they have ever done. We will either improve the squad in January or we won't.

"There will always be lots of names linked to us, the same as everyone else. But we know it will be a time when it will be even more difficult to bring in players that you want because of the market.

"If we thought it was expensive in summer then potentially it could be even more this January."

The Argus: Albion broke their transfer record three times in the summer, signing keeper Mathew Ryan from Valencia, midfielder Davy Propper from PSV Eindhoven, then Colombian winger Jose Izquierdo (above left) for £13.5 million from Brugge in Belgium.

The bottom nine clubs in the Premier League, including the Seagulls and Saturday opponents Huddersfield, are divided by only eight points, so the transfer window could play a crucial role in who stays up.

Hughton told The Argus: "You would think it would be (important) but January is a very difficult time to buy. You find a lot of clubs, maybe not in this division, not really being able to get what they want, so in the end they just service the squad and might bring in a couple of squad players to protect themselves from injuries.

"It's very difficult to get the players that clubs want. It's a difficult time to buy, because the selling club know the buyers might be desperate.

"It will be an important period, particularly for those that manage to get what they want."