City owner Thaksin Shinawatra has previously indicated that the club are looking to sign players that can increase the profile of the club, a bill that Ronaldinho would certainly fit, and Taweesuk has confirmed that the Brazilian is on their rader in snippets of an interview reported by Europa Press.

The executive director even went as far as to confirm that the club "has maintained negotiations" with Ronaldinho and requested time "to see if they end successfully".

"What we will look to do in the summer is to further boost the squad, bring in top-quality, internationally recognised players. Superstars would help fill the stadium and help our global branding. Primarily, we must win on the pitch – it can't be a gimmick," insisted Taweesuk.

"We've had discussions [with Ronaldinho] but we'll see how that pans out. We've looked at a host of players. Man City having discussions with superstar players used to be unimaginable, but not now. With investment, it's going forward.

"It won't be a galacticos strategy," he continued, referring to Real Madrid's infamous transfer policy, "but older famous names. We want to build around the team we have."

AC Milan are thought to be the front runners in the chase of Ronaldinho's signature and the player himself has confirmed in the last few days that he would prefer a move to Milan over England.

With that in mind, City's chances of securing his services seem limited, but it is nevertheless an indication of the ambition of Shinawatra and his partners for them to even have attempted such a signing.

Taweesuk added that they are looking to sign "superstars would help to fill the stadium and improve the prestige of the club", although he was clear in pointing out that such a player must help the club "take victory on the pitch" because "they cannot become solely a marketing tool."

Having invested over £40 million upon arriving this summer, Thaksin is eyeing UEFA Cup qualification next season and Champions League football by 2010. Sven-Goran Eriksson guided the side to their best league start in over a century, only for a 2008 collapse see them drop from third to ninth.

Thaksin will be keen to steer City to their first silverware in over 30 years and to build the club as a brand. Taweesuk has affirmed that Asia will be the main focus of the club's growth in marketing and playing terms, with fan clubs and academies alike planned for Hong Kong, China, South Korea, Thailand and Japan.

"We don't have the success of Manchester United but we can grow if we position ourselves as the Asian Premier League club," explained Taweesuk.

"We have the finance for an initial investment period but we will need some returns at some point and that's where global branding comes in."

He also moved to end all controversial and critical speculation around Shinawatra's involvement with the club. Taweesuk insisted his boss is in for his love of the game and it was not a politically motivated investment.

"His circumstances were scrutinised," he said of Thaksin's legal wranglings in his native Thailand, including various corruption charges, "[but] it's his love for football, and he wants to build his businesses up. He enjoys success but wants to work with football now."