Manchester City could be forced to sell key players for significantly less than their usual market value if relegation forms part of the punishment for the club’s serious financial-rule breaches.
No sanction has yet been imposed. City are preparing an appeal after an independent Premier League commission found them guilty of breaches covering the period from 2009/10 to 2017/18, findings the club continues to reject.
Relegation remains one of the possible outcomes, alongside fines and points deductions. The prospect has raised questions over how City would manage a high-wage squad if the club were sent out of the top flight.
Manchester City player sales could come at a discount
Former Everton chief executive Keith Wyness believes City would lose negotiating power in the transfer market and could be forced to accept fees 25 to 30 per cent below the normal value of their players.
“You’re absolutely right that there wouldn’t be release clauses, but this proves the point once again, and I learned the lesson the hard way that there should always be relegation clauses in contracts,” Wyness said.
“We know that there are deep resources within the ownership. However, they’ll also have to look at this pretty professionally and look at it as a business situation. And they will see enormous wage pressure.”
Wyness added: “So I would expect there to be about a 25 to 30 per cent discount over what the market value of these players would be.”
He believes rival clubs would seek to exploit City’s position if senior players wanted to remain in the Premier League or continue playing European football. City would therefore be negotiating from a position of weakness, particularly if several departures became necessary.
Wyness expects the club to seek protection through arrangements such as sell-on percentages and buy-back agreements, rather than simply accepting reduced fees without additional terms.
City’s ownership would be capable of absorbing substantial losses, but retaining Champions League-level wages in the Championship would not necessarily make sporting or commercial sense. The club’s immediate priority, however, appears to be overturning the commission’s ruling.
Chief executive Ferran Soriano has publicly maintained that City expect to clear their name. If the appeal fails, the club’s squad planning could become a major challenge alongside the continuing legal process.
