Man City Squad Faces Contract Chaos After Guilty Verdict — SkimNews
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- Manchester City was found guilty of all charges relating to Premier League financial regulation breaches between 2009-10 and 2017-18, and must lodge their appeal by Friday.
- Man City players do not have relegation release clauses in their contracts, though their deals are fully guaranteed — meaning the club would owe full wages even if demoted to the EFL.
- Mateo Kovacic, Matheus Nunes, Marcus Bettinelli and Geronimo Rulli are the only first-team players with contracts expiring in the next two summers, buying the club time before renewal talks become urgent.
- FIFA is preparing new rules requiring every contract signed on or after 1 January 2027 to include a release clause, compounding City's future recruitment challenges.
- Sources close to City's first team told BBC Sport there is significant concern about the verdict, though some players still back executives Khaldoon Al Mubarak and Ferran Soriano's pledge to overturn the ruling on appeal.
- Other elite European clubs are already working to lure City's best academy talent, with a possible transfer embargo among the sanctions that could prevent any new signings entirely.
Why it matters: City's player contracts lack relegation clauses but are fully guaranteed, meaning the club would owe massive wages even if demoted — making squad retention financially punishing. With only four senior players' contracts expiring soon, City have a narrow window to either secure renewals with new protective terms or risk a mass exit of top talent that rivals across Europe are already circling.
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