After eight years and countless trophies at the Etihad, Pep Guardiola has helped Man City assemble a squad that is the envy of everyone. The Citizens have also accumulated a fortune to ensure that Guardiola's successor can continue to target the world's top players.
City’s strong financial position was built on investment from owner Sheikh Mansour when he took over in 2008. A period of sustained success under Guardiola has since opened up lucrative commercial revenue streams for the club, further boosted by the Citizens’ ability to generate large sums of money through player transfers.
Man City have made more than £140m in the summer transfer window of 2024 after collecting £170m from players deemed surplus to requirements.
A year ago they generated £125m and over the past five years no fewer than 11 other Premier League clubs have had a higher net spend than City, with the Etihad outfit spending around £35m a year over that period.
This means City's total profit over the past two years is £122m, figures that will put them in a strong position when new UEFA financial sustainability rules are tightened next year.
The rules limit transfer and wage spending to 70% of a club's revenue. Man City's earnings from last year's treble-winning campaign were £712.8m - a Premier League record.
Man City 's revenue will continue to rise next year as the £300m Etihad North Stand renovation project adds 6,000 seats and increases the stadium's capacity to more than 60,000.
Of course, City are still haunted by the 115 charges brought against them by the Premier League, mainly for failing to provide accurate financial information between 2009 and 2018. And if an independent commission upholds the most serious complaints when it meets in the coming weeks, the punishment could be severe.
Four years ago, Man City were cleared of all financial misconduct charges after being banned from the Champions League for two years by UEFA on appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. But they were fined £8.5m for failing to co-operate with the original investigation. And the Premier League has made similar claims.
Man City still insist they have "irrefutable evidence" to clear the club's name. Earlier this month, Guardiola stressed the importance of the case being heard by an independent body.
The Citizens' board have not given up on convincing Guardiola to stay by offering him a new contract. Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak has been told by owner Sheikh Mansour to do everything possible to keep Guardiola beyond 2025.
But in a new book about the Man City 'captain' written by close friend Marti Perarnau, it is claimed that Guardiola will leave the club by the time the verdict on the Premier League charges is confirmed.
