Manchester City transfer spending under scrutiny after early knowledge of financial ruling

Manchester City’s decision to spend more than 520m euros on nine new players has come under renewed scrutiny after reports that the club was told in July that an independent commission had found it guilty of more than 100 alleged breaches of Premier League financial rules.

According to ESPN, Manchester City’s leadership knew about the commission’s decision months before the ruling was officially announced last Friday. Despite that, the club continued with an unprecedented transfer campaign.

The deals included record fees for Elliott Anderson, signed from Nottingham Forest for 135m euros, and Enzo Fernandez, who arrived from Chelsea for 145m euros.

The Anderson transfer is at the centre of the latest claims. Bild, citing ESPN, reported that Manchester City was informed of the commission’s decision as early as July. The agreement for Anderson is said to have been reached on 2 July, with the transfer formally completed on 23 July.

That means the move was reportedly arranged and completed after the club had been informed of the ruling, but before the decision became public. Fernandez was not signed until September, shortly before the ruling was leaked.

Manchester City declined to comment when approached by ESPN. The Premier League referred to “special and confidential procedures” and said it would not make any further statement.

On the pitch, the issue has not appeared to affect the team so far. Enzo Maresca’s side have won their opening five Premier League matches of the season and lead the table by three points from defending champions Arsenal.

Manchester City rejects allegations

Manchester City continues to strongly deny the accusations. Since the charges became public in February 2023, the club has maintained that it is innocent and has said it intends to appeal any finding against it.

In a statement, Manchester City said: “The Premier League proceedings are still ongoing. Some key elements remain outstanding and remain highly confidential.”

The club added: “Manchester City’s position remains consistent and unchanged, and is in line with the club’s statement issued in February 2023.”

Manchester City has also questioned the impartiality of the Premier League process. The club said it had trusted the proceedings to be fair for eight years and had expected league officials to act “independently, with integrity and without external influence”.