Liverpool are watching Man City’s handling of UEFA rules closely

There are 115 reasons why Liverpool are keeping a close eye on how Manchester City are treated by the game’s governing bodies.

But a more immediate decision has been made on the Etihad outfit, which will be of significant interest to Reds owners Fenway Sports Group.

Both City and neighbors Manchester United are set to be allowed to play in Europe next season alongside sister clubs Nice in France and Spanish side Girona, despite UEFA regulations that state clubs owned by the same entity cannot compete in the same competition European. City Football Group members Manchester City and Girona are in the Champions League, while INEOS-owned Manchester United are in the Europa League.

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UEFA’s Club Financial Control Board has assessed the relationship between City and Girona and will clear both to play, while United and Nice are also given the green light under certain conditions.

However, all teams have been told that the upcoming 2024/25 campaign will be considered transitional and UEFA’s rules on multi-club ownership could be strengthened for future seasons.

That all of this will be of particular interest to Liverpool’s owners FSG is due to their planned move towards a similar multi-club model which is becoming more prevalent.

There are already a handful of big hitters. In addition to Manchester City and Girona, the City Football Group also contains New York City, Melbourne City, Yokohama J Marinos, Palermo and clubs from Uruguay, India, Belgium, France, Brazil and Bolivia. Chelsea’s owners, the BlueCo consortium, have a controlling interest in the French side of Strasbourg.

Red Bull are arguably the most prominent backers of the initiative and have brand teams in Leipzig, Salzburg and New York, as well as controlling stakes in Bragatino in Brazil and Austrian side FC Liefering. And potential Everton owners 777 Partners have their fingers in Hertha Berlin, Genoa, Standard Liege, Red Star Paris Saint-Germain, Melbourne Victory and Brazilian side Vasco da Gama.

Jurgen Klopp’s departure as Liverpool manager has been identified as an opportune time for FSG to reorganize its football operations in preparation for the multi-club approach. Indeed, it is understood that Michael Edwards was persuaded to return to the job in the newly created position of FSG’s chief executive of football because of the prospect of overseeing more teams.

In addition to Edwards, it was notable that the appointments of technical director Julian Ward and director of football development Pedro Marques brought them under the FSG umbrella, rather than only tying them to Liverpool, as is the case with head coach Arne Slot and sports director. Richard Hughes. FSG’s latest appointment was confirmed last Friday, Hans Leitert, their global head of goalkeeping, having previously held a similar position at Red Bull.

While the foundations are now in place for FSG, the next major step will be identifying a club to acquire. Those from Portugal – where the likes of Edwards and Ward have built strong contacts – are understood to be attracted by the opening up of travel from the South American market.

But the purchase of a club anywhere in Europe will be shaped by UEFA regulations. Owners City and United could be given the go-ahead to effectively carry on as usual this season, but it looks like the landscape will soon change again and regulations will tighten. FSG will take note – and what impact on the owners will surely have indirect ramifications for Liverpool.