Like last season, when we did not want to pay the asking price for Perisic, I think that we are looking for "value in the market".
It appears that the powers that be, would rather finish finish with a lower points total, while spending less money, rather than spend more money, to get more league points.
This Summer will be interesting for Jose, because if he can't persuade the powers that be, to let him buy the players he wants, then he could be sacked next Summer.
What's worrying is that our club is hyping up Dalot and the 3rd choice GK. Normally, they wouldn't bother doing this - if you are about to buy Neymar/Ronaldo, Dalot wouldn't even get a mention, for obvious reasons - but if this is the extent of our transfer dealings, it would make sense for the club to boast about these signings.
In any case, we still have about 5 more weeks of the transfer window (I think), so there is still time.