Sanctions threat hits City rebuild
Legal battles put planned move for Bellingham at risk Uncertainty could prove a deterrent to transfer targets
Manchester City’s plans for a major summer revamp of their squad could be threatened by the storm engulfing the club.
The Premier League champions hope to make Jude Bellingham the centrepiece of an overhaul as they ramp up a rebuilding process that began with the captures of forwards Erling Haaland and Julian Alvarez last year.
But Monday’s bombshell news that City have been charged by the Premier League with 115 alleged breaches of financial rules has thrown a potential spanner in the works ahead of what is anticipated to be a busy summer for the club.
Pep Guardiola is eager to freshen up his side amid concerns they have fallen into a comfort zone after so much success, and with a number of players, such as Joao Cancelo and Bernardo Silva, facing uncertain futures, and others who have formed the nucleus of serial title-winning sides now into their thirties.
City are determined to beat the likes of Real Madrid and Liverpool to Bellingham, the Borussia Dortmund and England midfielder, as they eye a long-term replacement for Kevin De Bruyne and are armed with a huge transfer kitty on the back of soaring profits from player sales and booming revenues.
But the threat of sanctions, including points deductions and even expulsion from the Premier League, hanging over the club could yet prove a deterrent or obstacle for some players and compromise their rebuilding efforts. The worst-case scenario is also complicated by the fact that the English Football League would be under no obligation to accept the club.
City believe their name will be cleared and say they welcome the opportunity for an independent regulatory commission to “impartially consider the comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence that exists in support of its position”.
No timescale has been given for when the commission will hear the case, despite City’s top-flight rivals wanting an outcome before the end of the season.
Real, Liverpool and Bellingham’s other suitors, who may yet come to include Manchester United, are also likely to view City’s predicament as an opportunity to steal a march in the race for the muchcoveted 19-year-old, whose next move is being carefully weighed up by the player and his family.
Nonetheless, sources have indicated that City are continuing to plan as normal for the window and are confident of being vindicated, which they are likely to impress on potential targets. City are expected to target two midfielders, at least one fullback and a winger this summer, although the situation will be influenced
by who stays and goes. Bernardo, the Portugal midfielder who has been linked with a move to Barcelona for the past few summers, wants to be closer to home and could yet depart.
Ilkay Gundogan is out of contract at the end of the season but, while the Germany midfielder is in talks over a new deal, he is 32 and not a long-term solution.
De Bruyne, the midfield talisman behind four league titles, turns 32 in June and City – who like to plan their windows 18 months in advance – recognise he will not go on forever. While Bellingham is a key target, City have distanced themselves from Leicester City midfielder James Maddison.
Cancelo joined Bayern Munich on loan on deadline day and the Bundesliga champions have an option to sign the Portugal fullback for €70million (£62.3million)
in the summer. Left-back Benjamin Mendy is expected to depart when his contract expires this summer.
City were already short at fullback, having sold Oleksandr Zinchenko to Arsenal last summer, and while academy graduate Rico Lewis’s emergence has been a blessing, another youngster, Sergio Gomez, has yet to convince.
Elsewhere, Aymeric Laporte has struggled for game time in the Premier League and midfielder Kalvin Phillips is battling to prove himself after a nightmare debut campaign.
Kyle Walker will be 33 in May and Riyad Mahrez turns 32 this month. AC Milan’s Rafael Leao is one winger whom City have been monitoring.
City could likely command big fees for Bernardo and Cancelo if they were to go but, on top of record £613million revenues that are now the subject of much scrutiny, their coffers have been swollen considerably over the past few years by huge profits on player sales.
While it remains to be seen how the Premier League case affects the club, City have raised £255million through sales in the past five seasons. And it is estimated that they could have made more than £150million in profits from sales this season.
The sale of academy products such as Gavin Bazunu, Romeo Lavia, Sam Edozie and Juan Larios, who all joined Southampton for a combined fee of around £45million, constitute “pure profit” on the books.
In addition, Kieran Maguire, a lecturer in football finance at Liverpool University, estimates that City made a profit in accounting terms of around £114million from the sales of Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus and Zinchenko last summer.
City’s headache could yet be compounded by the news that the EFL would not automatically have to accept them in the extraordinary event they were expelled from the Premier League.
Since the EFL cannot have more than 72 clubs, it is also unclear how City would be accommodated without a change in regulations.