Man City ‘held secret settlement talks with Premier League before guilty verdict – and club could have got let-off with a FINE before they collapsed after refusal to accept any charges’

Manchester City reportedly held secret early-stage settlement talks with the Premier League that collapsed prior to the club's guilty verdict on 114 of 115 financial charges. According to a report by Bloomberg, discussions took place that could have potentially resolved the dispute with a heavy fine rather than extreme sporting sanctions. However, negotiations broke down because the reigning champions refused to accept any of the formal charges, and the club is currently appealing the independent commission's ruling.

The independent panel found Manchester City utilized sham contracts and disguised funding schemes through Abu Dhabi United Group to misstate roughly £900 million in accounts between 2009 and 2018. Facing potential title stripping or top-flight expulsion if their appeal fails, manager Enzo Maresca publicly backed the club hierarchy, stating he trusted the organization completely ahead of City's upcoming fixture against Liverpool.