Davie Martindale admits he would be open to the idea of Livingston becoming a feeder club for an English Premier League side if it brought in more investment.
The Lions boss concedes he needs more financial help if he is to make the West Lothian side regular challengers for European football.
Livingston - who have the smallest budget in the league - have already punched well above their weight since returning to the top-flight in 2018 and have not finished outside of the top seven in each of the last three campaigns.
However, Martindale, whose team are currently seventh, admits he needs more help in being able to attract better players as well as keeping his own.
Martindale said: “We need inward investment, I would bite your hand off for it at Livingston.
“I’m not going to say we’ve hit a glass ceiling so to speak because I think there is more to come from the current people at the club, including myself and the players.
"It’s very difficult every year replacing coaches and replacing players, it’s very difficult when you are losing your best players to other clubs because they can pay more money.
"Yes we’re doing well but do I want to keep treading water in terms of where we are as a club?
“All my staff, we all want to kick on. We all want to be in European football every year, we all want to be chasing top six every year, we don’t want to be one of the favourites to get relegated every year."
Martindale believes it makes sense for Premier League clubs to consider using Livingston as a feeder club, especially since Brexit.
He added: “If I was a club down south, you look at the moneyball ownership models.
“Look at Brighton, and the clubs they own in other countries, that business is very successful. Why would a club such as Birmingham or Bournemouth, the bigger clubs in England, why would they not purchase a Livingston Football Club and use it as a feeder club?
"Leave the infrastructure and staff that are here but give us more inward investment.
“I think now with Brexit, it’s really difficult for foreign players to break into the English Premier League, if a club owned Livingston and invest - what do they spend on their under-23s down the road? Millions.
“Give Livingston a couple of million a year and supply us with players and if we play European football that player is automatically guaranteed to play in England.”
