Where Manchester City’s £1.2bn in transfer fees went
A BBC breakdown names 46 clubs that received Manchester City transfer fees. Those payments are distinct from the financial breaches the club is appealing.
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Manchester City paid about £1.22bn in fees for senior players between summer 2009 and winter 2018, spread across 46 clubs in 19 national league systems, BBC Sport reports. The breakdown shows who received transfer fees during a period overlapping the financial rule breaches found by an independent commission. It does not measure how much extra City spent as a result of those breaches. [1] [2]
Wolfsburg tops the BBC list with £96.5m, followed by Monaco on £91.5m, Arsenal on £71m and Everton on £63m. Premier League clubs received £351.5m — about 29% of the reported total. These are gross fees, not spending after player sales are taken into account. [1]
The commission found that City recorded owner funding as sponsorship income, overstating income by more than £830m in accounts covering 2009/10 to 2017/18. It concluded that, once the accounts were restated, City failed the applicable UEFA and Premier League financial tests by substantial amounts in the seasons examined. Those tests assess income and expenses, rather than transfer fees alone. The commission rejected one set of allegations concerning City's duty to co-operate. [2]
City lodged an appeal on 1 October, saying the decision contains material errors and maintaining its innocence. The Premier League confirmed the appeal and said the hearing would remain private. City had not received a punishment as of 2 October, the Associated Press reported. [3] [4] [5]
Some fees went further than the selling clubs: BBC Sport estimates that sell-on clauses brought QPR about £9m from Raheem Sterling’s move and Barnsley about £7m from John Stones’s. Those were portions of the fees paid to the sellers, not additional City payments. Nor does receiving a fee, on its own, show a club’s net gain after losing a player. [1]
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