Keith Curle is hoping to add to his Carlisle United squad before the transfer window closes despite having to balance his spending plans with the club's need to fix the roof of one of Brunton Park's stands.

The Blues have confirmed that the 557-seat Edinburgh Woollen Mill Stand, which is part of the Main Stand building at the stadium, is to remain closed until October until its roof is replaced at a cost of £30,000.

United have insisted that work on the "deteriorating" structure is needed as soon as possible and admitted that, as a result, income from sell-on fees and next week's cup tie with Sunderland cannot all go to Curle's player budget.

Chairman Andrew Jenkins said the roof had been deteriorating "year by year" and added: "We took specialist advice in July and we have decided to install a new roof at a cost of £30,000.

"This work will be probably carried out in October so we apologise to anyone affected in any way.

"It was not possible to carry the work out in the close-season due to the contractor’s other jobs and commitments, as well as planning what was needed. I would love to think we could use all the money coming into the club for the playing side but these ongoing repairs are unavoidable."

The EWM Stand was also closed for the opening game against Swindon two weeks ago.

News of the roof repairs came as chief executive Nigel Clibbens revealed that £30,000 had just come into the club from sell-on clauses relating to Brad Potts and Kyle Dempsey's summer moves.

While this did not represent a "major windfall" - further payments will come in over the next two years - it will, along with the expected proceeds from next Tuesday's Carabao Cup second round tie, enable the Blues to increase their wage cap slightly under salary cost management protocol rules, according to the chief executive.

That means Curle expects to have "a little bit of money" available to use before the August 31 deadline, with the manager having held discussions with one potential target's agent.

Clibbens, though, said the player budget "remains tight", with United having reached their spending limit at the start of the season.

The director, in an article on the club's website, said the size of the crowd at Tuesday's Carabao Cup tie would also influence the budget.

Clibbens added: "The board will continue to make funds available to the manager from this. Discussions have taken place with Keith to confirm this so that he can look at the options.

"At the same time as committing to support the manager, we also face competing demands for the income the club receives. This means we have to carefully allocate what we have across the requirements of the whole club. The priority is always first-team football, but we do need to spend on other areas such as the stadium and its facilities, as well as keeping some aside for a rainy day.

"The stadium is increasingly expensive to maintain and we want to improve the match day experience for everyone. From time-to-time essential repairs and safety critical work are also required and we need to retain funds with that in mind."

Curle, whose side are chasing a third straight victory at home to Cheltenham tomorrow, said: "I'm part of a business and organisation that needs good housekeeping and has to balance the books.

"We need to pay our way, outstanding debts and creditors have to get paid and there are maintenance issues at the club - health and safety issues regarding our own supporters - that need to be addressed. You can't just sweep them under the carpet."

Regarding transfer targets, the Blues boss suggested he was prioritising cover in the full-back and wide midfield positions, having made a number of scouting trips with his backroom staff this week.

Curle also said it was important United were able to be more "proactive" in the January window than they had been in previous seasons.

Clibbens, meanwhile, claimed United had paid one of their biggest transfer fees "for many years" this summer - understood to be a reference to the signing of Barrow's Richie Bennett, when a sell-on clause of £50,000 was believed to be triggered.

Curle, meanwhile, said midfielder Jason Kennedy was close to a return from injury having taken part in full training this week.