New Man City 115 fee prediction emerges as pundits agree on outcome amid Liverpool wait

Manchester City may be forced into a full hearing into their 115 Financial Fair Play (FFP) breaches, while Liverpool continue to await a verdict.

In February 2023, City were charged by the Premier League with breaches mainly revolving around their conduct between 2009 and 2018. The main points of contention concerned the financial information they submitted to the league in relation to payments to players and managers .

The Premier League also claims City did not fully co-operate with the resulting investigation. Pep Guardiola’s club have always strongly denied any wrongdoing and insist they have evidence that will prove their innocence.

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However, this evidence has yet to be heard by the Premier League after a prolonged wait to set a hearing date. City are expected to have a hearing sometime this year, but the verdict is not expected until the summer of 2025.

This has led to some speculation that the Premier League and City may decide to reach an out-of-court settlement to avoid further delays. The concern with this method is that clubs such as Liverpool and Arsenal are unlikely to feel that justice has been done if it is settled before the hearing, given that Everton and Nottingham Forest have had their cases taken through trial.

On BBC Radio Manchester’s We’re Not Really Here podcast, football finance expert Kieran Maguire and former City financial adviser Stefan Borson were asked if a deal was a likely outcome. Both men agreed with their answer, with Maguire explaining: “It would certainly save a lot of money on behalf of both parties.

“It could mean that both sides could claim a win, but I think in terms of public opinion and reaction there is likely to be both the media and I suspect from other clubs, it’s not something that’s acceptable to the Premier . League or City.” Borson added: “There are ways it could come within the Premier League rules.

“But I think they missed their window for a deal. Now that it’s public and now that we’re so close to the hearing, it would be very unlikely that they would find common ground politically to resolve this.”

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