Man City make ‘telling’ contract clause calls over £150m trio ahead of FFP charges verdict

Manchester City have made a ‘telling’ decision as they prepare contracts for three January signings amid their ongoing legal battle with the Premier League.
City face the prospect of a significant points deduction which could see them relegated from the Premier League if they’re found guilty of any of the most serious of the 130 FFP charges levelled against them.
At the start of 2023, Man City were charged with breaching Financial Fair Play rules after the Premier League referred the club to an independent commission. This followed a four-year probe into their conduct between 2009 and 2018.
The independent tribunal’s judgement is expected in the spring after a 12-week hearing, with City insisting on their innocence throughout the saga.
Amid the uncertainty, the club is in the process of revamping Pep Guardiola’s squad after a rotten start to the 2024/2025 campaign.
City have reportedly agreed a a £33.6million deal for Lens’ Uzbekistan international defender Abdukodir Khusanov, while talks with Eintracht Frankfurt and Palmeiras are ongoing over moves for Omar Marmoush and Vitor Reiss respectively.
Frankfurt reportedly want around £60m for versatile forward Marmoush, while City have been quoted a £42m asking price by Palmeiras for their teenage centre-back Reiss.
In a ‘telling’ move according to Mirror, the contracts being prepared for those players by sporting director Txiki Begiristain do not include relegation clauses, which would allow them to leave City if they were forced out of the English top flight, the implication from the report being City’s confidence in winning their battle with the Premier League.
Football finance expert Kieran Maguire recently explained why Guardiola’s side could be relegated if found guilty.
“In the case of City, there’s actually three charges. It’s not 115,” Maguire said on The Overlap.
“Has money come in from the owners which they pretend to be from the sponsors? If that is the case, then that is fraud. That is about as serious as it gets. And, if found guilty of those charges, then the book will be thrown at Manchester City and it’s going to be a massive points deduction.
“You can’t relegate them because the Premier League and the EFL are independent bodies, so the EFL doesn’t have to accept them. Given the Everton and the Forest points deductions, they were both described by the commission of being ‘minor breaches’.
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“Well, what Manchester City are being accused of is major breaches over a 9-10 year period. So, you would be looking at somewhere between 60 and 100 points if you go through on a charge by charge basis. So, it would relegate them.
“The paying people off-book, it happens in football. I know a number of players and ex-players who are working for the owners’ company and also on a wage at the club.
“We’ve got history of players’ mothers being paid hundreds of thousands of pounds to be an academy scout in order for the player to have a slightly better deal and so on. Football is quite creative in those rules.
“And the third charge, which I think City will find difficult to defend, will be non-cooperation with the Premier League’s investigation.
“Having said that, if my wife looks at my internet history, I’m in trouble! It shouldn’t be done. You shouldn’t be relying on hacked emails, and that’s City’s defence.”