Gillingham manager Gareth Ainsworth on his search for a striker in the January transfer window and a possible new deal for Lenni Cirino

Gillingham’s hunt for a goalscorer in the January transfer window could be hampered by “out of control” spending from other clubs.

The Gills are on the lookout for a striker who knows how to find the back of the net, but money talks and manager Gareth Ainsworth admits they need a lot of it if they want to get a seasoned finisher.

His side are just about keeping in touch with the leading teams in League 2 - six points outside the play-off places after Monday night’s draw with Colchester United - but missed chances are costing them, and the manager is keen to put it right now the transfer window is open.

“I know what’s missing, and I’m trying, but we’ll see where it goes,” said the Gills boss.

“If we could bring one in who we know will come in and score goals, I think it would be stupid not to.

“I’ve got names. I’ve got targets. There’s so many factors in that, whether you can get them or not.

“It’s becoming tougher and tougher to sign these top strikers. It really is.

“There are some teams in our league spending a lot of money and can probably outbid us and out-trump us.

“Believe me, there are some teams in the National League which are spending big money to try and get back into the league or into the league for the first time. They’re spending crazy money as well.

“There’s a big queue for any striker, and at the moment, as well, the finances, honestly, they go out of control. Not ours, we’re fine, but when you hear about the fees paid for players and what other teams are paying players, wow, it’s gone a little bit out of control.

“We’ve got to make sure that we don’t put people in jeopardy, put too much pressure on somebody, but still get that quality striker in there. We’ll see how that goes.

“There’s plenty of things