CITY FACING FFP PROBE

MANCHESTER CITY are being scrutinised by UEFA again after a £208million summer spending spree. The billionaires are back on UEFA’s Financial Fair Play (FFP) radar – and the move is sure to concern Etihad bosses.

Both City and Paris St Germain were hit with fines for breaking FFP rules in 2014 – and the two European giants are being looked at again. Pep Guardiola (left) has masterminded a huge shake up of his squad in recent weeks – landing Bernardo Silva (£45m), Ederson (£35m), Kyle Walker (£50m), Benjamin Mendy (£52m) and Danilo (£26m).

Guardiola is also keen on signing Monaco sensation Kylian Mbappe, who has been valued at a staggering £160m, along with £70m-rated Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal.

There is no suggestion either City or PSG have stepped out of line – but if the Premier League billionaires were to land Sanchez it would push their

spending towards the £300m mark in transfer fees alone.

This would alert UEFA’s FFP watchdogs, who are also keeping tabs on PSG’s potential world record deal to sign Neymar from Barcelona.

The Qatar-backed French club are willing to meet Neymar’s £196m buy-out clause.

Andrea Traverso, who leads UEFA’s FFP team, says clubs like PSG and City will have to tread even more carefully as a second breach of the regulations could leave them open to a heavier punishment, including a ban from European competition.

Traverso (right) said: “We don’t make a distinction. All clubs are treated in the same way. PSG and Manchester City have been punished but I can tell you Inter Milan and Roma have been restricted too. Major clubs, in Turkey, have been punished very heavily. Small, middle-sized and big clubs are treated in the same way.

“It’s been a long time since 2014 when the rules had just been introduced. Now, everyone knows them well. PSG are no longer under those restrictions, but that doesn’t mean they can start to do what they want.

“They must respect financial fair play regulations, just like everyone else in Europe. They must show they can have losses that do not go beyond £30m over three years.

“I’m convinced that everything will be done within the rules. But I understand very well that some people are asking themselves questions.”