Gary Neville raises Manchester City transfer suspicions ahead of hearing into 115 Prem charges

Gary Neville has questioned whether Manchester City's impending hearing into their 115 alleged breaches of Premier League rules is behind their uneventful transfer window. Pep Guardiola's side have made just one signing this summer after their fourth Premier League triumph, with Brazilian winger Savinho arriving for £21m from Ligue 1 side Troyes.

Despite the departures of Sergio Gomez and Julian Alvarez, the latter of whom left Manchester to join Atletico Madrid for £82million, City are yet to replace the Argentine who scored 19 goals in 54 games for the club last season and proved a vital part of Erling Haaland's side.

With City's hearing into their 115-count indictment set to begin next month, according to the Times, Neville questioned whether their lack of transfer activity and their significant sale of Alvarez had been done with the potential consequences of a guilty plea in mind.

Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, the Manchester United legend said: “Last night it was announced that Manchester City's hearing would start in four weeks. I wonder if they're signing people up on purpose, thinking they might get the book thrown at them.

“If they think they're going to be found guilty and something ridiculous happens – they get relegated or get 20 points deducted – they might ask themselves what's the point of signing players now. They got £82m for Alvarez, and they'll see what happens.”

If City are found guilty of the most serious charges against them, the Premier League champions could be expelled from the top flight. And it has been reported that the outcome of this complex hearing will be known in early 2025, unless potential legal delays prevent the hearing from starting between mid- and late September.

Among the 115 charges, the champions are accused of failing to provide accurate financial information and details of player and manager payments over a nine-year period from 2009 to 2018. At the same time, they have also been accused of breaching the Premier League's profit and sustainability rules on seven occasions between 2015 and 2018.

The Citizens are also accused of breaching UEFA rules, including Financial Fair Play, on five occasions between 2013 and 2018, in addition to the 35 charges they face for allegedly failing to cooperate with Premier League investigations from December 2018 to February 2023.