Major implications for Manchester City ahead of vote on controversial salary cap rule

A new salary cap rule is set to be voted on by clubs across the Premier League that could have major implications for Manchester City and their wealthiest stars.

Manchester City have employed several of the Premier League’s most affluent stars since the club’s Abu Dhabi takeover in 2008, with Sheikh Mansour ushering a new era at the Etihad Stadium under his stewardship.

City have since become a powerhouse in English football – winning a plethora of domestic, European and global silverware under Pep Guardiola – after the likes of Roberto Mancini and Manuel Pellegrini laid the foundations of the side Guardiola inherited when he was appointed manager in 2016.

Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne were among the highest earners in the Premier League last term, with the former signing a sensational 10-year contract in January and the latter allowed to leave in June.

City also handed Guardiola a new two-year contract in the fall of 2024 that will keep the Catalan coach at the Etihad Stadium till the end of the 2026-27 season – with the club’s hierarchy backing the 54-year-old heavily in the recent transfer window.

After a dormant 2024 summer transfer window, Hugo Viana loosened the purse strings after replacing Txiki Begiristain as sporting director this summer as Manchester City made seven new signings in a sliding doors moment for the club in the backdrop of their most challenging campaign under Guardiola.

The £26 million deadline day acquisition of Gianluigi Donnarumma from Paris Saint-Germain has also served as a reminder of Manchester City’s appeal to the world’s greatest players – with the Italian moving to the Etihad Stadium after a fallout with Paris Saint-Germain over his salary demands amid talks over a new contract at the Parc des Princes.

Manchester City are awaiting a verdict on their alleged 115 breaches of the Premier League’s Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules, with officials representing several European clubs also meeting in Rome last week to discuss a change in the substitution and matchday squad number rules.

Mail Sport have reported that Manchester City face fresh concerns ahead of a Premier League vote on installing a salary cap that would regulate the wages offered by clubs in the English top-flight to their registered first-team players.

The proposal, which will have severe repercussions on the football pyramid and the financial disparity between the Premier League and the EFL Championship, has drawn strong opposition by Manchester City minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

Clubs across the Premier League are holding behind-the-scenes conversations on the proposed ‘top to bottom anchor’ – which would mean clubs can only spend five times the fees paid to the club that finished last on their ‘football squad costs’ – encompassing the first-team squad bill, manager wages, amortisation and agents fees. 

Those who have led the pushback against the proposed rule have cited the dangers of a salary cap, which would put off the Premier League’s best players and eventually sway them to the likes of Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and more affluent clubs in Saudi Arabia and United States.