(Credit: Getty Images)

Ben Palmer

Sun 17 August 2025 20:00, UK

The Premier League will refuse to back down without reaching a conclusion in their case against Man City.

'Premier League clubs will be unhappy' after £200m Man City reveal	'I'm afraid it's going legal' - Alexander Isak to Liverpool move turns sour	'Definitely over' - Ruben Amorim makes brutal Man United decision that signals end for one player

That is the verdict of football finance expert Dan Plumley, who told Football Insider exclusively that despite spending an estimated £200million in legal fees over the last five years, the chances of the Premier League giving up now were “highly unlikely”.

Man City were given 115 charges by the Premier League in February 2023 for alleged breaches of financial fair play (FFP) between 2009 and 2018.

Man City and the Premier League are awaiting the verdict of an independent commission.

(Credit: Imago)

An independent commission hearing began in September 2024 and finished in December of that same year, but the panel has not yet reached a verdict.

Man City allegedly concealed payments through various third-party businesses in order to funnel money into the club.

This article contains exclusive comment from Dan Plumley, a football finance expert and senior lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University.

The legal battle that has ensued between the Sky Blues and the Premier League has been a pricey one for both parties.

The Times reports that both sides have spent an estimated £200m each.

MORE FOOTBALL INSIDER STORIES

Club chiefs from the Premier League’s biggest clubs have concerns over the cost of the ongoing legal case, with one saying, “The sums involved are eye-watering and the money that is going to the lawyers is money that could have gone to the clubs.”

But despite those concerns, Plumley told Football Insider that the chances of the Premier League backing down at this stage were incredibly low.

He said: “I think they’ve got to see this to some sort of conclusion.



The Premier League have spent an estimated £200m in their case against Man City.

“We knew City would be pretty bullish about this.

They said we’ll tie the Premier League up in litigation if we have to.

But we expected the legal cost to be sky high, because [it was] pretty clear from the outset that City were going to go down that road.”

With the case against them continuing to drag on, Pep Guardiola‘s side may be inclined to reach a compromise with the Premier League behind the scenes.

Keith Wyness told Football Insider that Man City will be keen to end to uncertainty which surrounds them.

Rayan Cherki is one of six players to have joined Man City this summer.