With the World Cup now over, all focus for English football fans will turn towards the upcoming Premier League season. One key off-field issue which was expected by many to be resolved this summer remains up in the air, however.

Indeed, Manchester City have long been accused of breaching financial rules between 2009 and 2018. These relate to various rules, including failure to provide accurate financial information and accurate reports on player and manager compensation.

The Etihad outfit were initially charged with 115 alleged breaches of FFP back in February 2023, but that number increased to 130. A hearing into the charges against the Premier League side concluded in December 2024, but a final verdict has yet to be revealed to the public.

Many felt the outcome would be known this summer, but with it still unclear if Man City are guilty or not, financial expert Stefan Borson has spoken out on the ‘inexplicable’ situation as he provided a new update on the matter.

Speaking to TalkSport, Borson slammed the ‘inexplicable’ delay for an outcome ahead of the 2026/27 Premier League season. He was asked to provide an update on the case, and suggested that ‘no decision’ has been made yet:

Borson went on to reference Chelsea’s charges from the FA relating to 74 alleged breaches of rules relating to football agents, which came after they picked up a £10m fine from the Premier League. He noted:

“But these cases are taking a very long time. I mean, you do also have a situation with the Chelsea charges from the FA. That was a hearing that was held in November.

“It was a sanction-only hearing, a very simple hearing and we’re still waiting for that, and that’s been sort of eight or nine months.

“So I don’t really know what’s going on with these cases in terms of the timings and why they’re so elongated, but they’re completely out of the realms of normality. Most decisions are in way before this.”

Man City Spending Suggests They Think They Will Win Case

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Borson was then asked to give his thoughts on how he thinks things could play out for Man City, but insisted it was still unclear. He did suggest that the amount Man City have spent in recent times on new signings, stadium developments, and more suggests the Manchester club are confident of being proven innocent.

He said: “I think just in the behaviour of Manchester City, since the hearing itself in particular. The spending and the level of confidence that they’re portraying, the signature of numerous contracts, the fact that a manager was prepared to move from Chelsea, the fact that they’ve built a £400million stadium and facility at one end of the ground.

He did add, however, “But of course, all of these cases are very difficult to predict because litigation is something that even the best cases can lose and you should never be too certain about the outcome of any of those cases.”

Borson’s concluding comments were to predict Man City to win the case, noting: “It’s more likely that City will prevail given the behaviours and given the face that what’s alleged is inherently unlikely.

“But of course, if they’ve done it, as I’ve said many times, the punishment will be extremely severe and this won’t be about transfer bans or things around the edges. If everything is proved against City, the sanctions will be severe.”

Manchester United are increasingly confident in their ability to sign Real Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni, according to BBC Sport journalist Simon Stone.

Tchouameni has plied his trade at the Bernabeu for four years, helping Los Blancos to a Champions League and La Liga triumph in that time. Jose Mourinho arrived in the Spanish capital earlier this summer and was reportedly keen on keeping hold of the defensive midfielder, but this stance has now changed due to the Spanish giants’ pursuit of Manchester City’s Rodri.

Real Madrid are plotting an audacious move for Rodri, and they may need to sanction Tchouameni’s departure to raise funds and create room for the World Cup winner.

United have emerged as the frontrunners for Tchouameni, having tracked the Frenchman for some time now, and believe they are well-placed to pull this deal off in the coming weeks.

Man Utd Increasingly Confident of Signing Aurelien Tchouameni

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United are in the process of rebuilding their midfield this summer. Youri Tielemans has arrived for £35 million from Aston Villa, while Andrey Santos has joined from Chelsea for £50 million.

This rebuild has been a long-time coming, although the need for it has arguably been exacerbated by the departure of Casemiro and the serious injury sustained by Manuel Ugarte during the World Cup.

Tchouameni, described by Monaco coach Robert Moreno as ‘one of the best midfielders in the world‘, has been made the priority target, although early indications from the Real Madrid camp were that the 26-year-old is not for sale.

This saga has now developed, however, with Los Blancos turning their attention to signing Rodri. Credible reporter Simone Stone has revealed that there is an ‘element of positivity’ around United’s chances of landing Tchouameni.

“It is sounding like there is an element of positivity around Manchester United’s chances of signing Real Madrid’s France midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni,” he said.

It remains to be seen what sort of fee it would take for the Red Devils to pry Tchouameni to Old Trafford, although £85 million, the sum Real Madrid spent on the midfield anchor back in 2022, has been mooted.

Aurelien Tchouameni Saga is Great News All Around for Man Utd

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The reporting seems to suggest that Tchouameni’s move to United is still dependent on Madrid securing Rodri’s signature. Given City have invested £116 million in Elliot Anderson, it does seem plausible that they might be willing to cash in on their talismanic, but ageing and injury-prone, midfielder.

Tchouameni has the perfect set of tools to complement the existing midfielders at United. Alongside playmaker Tielemans, who will provide the progressive passing from deep, the France international can focus on what he does best — disrupting the opposition’s attacks.

Meanwhile, if the deal materialises, City will have lost Rodri — a huge blow for the Red Devils’ major rivals. Anderson’s presence may not be sufficient to cover for the loss of the Ballon d’Or winner, meaning the Citizens may well struggle in the short-term.

Arsenal have made contact over a stunning deal to sign Vinicius Jr from Real Madrid, according to David Ornstein.

The Gunners have made their left-wing position a key area that they are looking to strengthen this summer, having won the Premier League and reached the Champions League final last season.

Leandro Trossard has already departed and been replaced by Christos Tzolis, while Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus are also available for transfer. But after missing out on top target Morgan Rogers earlier in the window, Arsenal are now making a shock effort for a mega deal.

Arsenal Make Move for Vini Jr

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Vini Jr, who has been described as ‘the best player in the world’, has entered the final 12 months of his contract at Real Madrid, and the Spanish giants do not want to lose him on a free transfer next summer.

Madrid have entered the race to sign Yan Diomande from RB Leipzig in a deal worth around £100m, and that has opened the door for a potential exit for the Brazil superstar, who starred at the World Cup this summer.

According to The Athletic, Arsenal are now exploring a deal to sign Vini Jr as an option for their left wing, and the deal has been approved at all levels of the north London club.

The 26-year-old is yet to agree terms on a new contract and has been told by Real Madrid that he will not be allowed to enter the new season without having signed an extension.

There have been no club-to-club talks between Arsenal and Real Madrid over a deal at this stage, but the interest is genuine and the club are keeping a close eye on his contract situation with regards to making a move later in the window. It is stated, however, that there is no guarantee a move materialises at this stage.

Vini Jr Would Be a Gamechanger

REUTERS/Marcelo Del Pozo

There are some players in world football where when they become available for a transfer, everyone stands up. One of those, is Vini Jr.

The Brazilian has had a stunning eight years at the Bernabeu, but he has found himself behind Kylian Mbappe as the main man in recent years, which has led to some friction. With less than a year remaining on his contract, the chances of him moving on have never been greater.

If Arsenal were able to secure a deal to bring him in, not only would they boost their chances of winning the Premier League again and Champions League, but they would have one of the very best players in the world in their squad for the prime years of his career. That would be gamechanging.