Revealed: the four Premier League rivals seeking compensation if Man City are found guilty of serious breaches of financial rules

Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham have taken legal action to ensure they can claim damages if Manchester City is found guilty of serious breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules.

The group of four have formally declared their intention to seek damages from the four-in-a-row champions should they fail in their battle against the competition during an ongoing hearing.

The city denies all wrongdoing and no verdict from an independent commission in 115 charges is expected until the new year. However, ahead of a deadline under the statute of limitations, which expired last week, the group has taken action to ensure they can file a lawsuit if the opportunity exists.

The move highlights the established battle lines that have been drawn in the Premier League. City have long suspected the quartet are the leaders in what they believe is a vendetta against them after their long era of success.

At a recent meeting of clubs at Premier League headquarters, City fans paid for a truck to transport a giant LED sign, which featured the logos of the four involved, along with the caption: ‘Richard’s Masters’, an obvious dig at the league’s CEO. Richard Masters.

Four Premier League clubs have taken legal action to ensure they can claim damages if Manchester City are found to have seriously breached Premier League rules

Man City fans recently installed a giant screen outside the Premier League headquarters during a club meeting

Manchester City have won each of the last four Premier League campaigns in a row

Although all involved declined to comment, they are said to have taken action now over concerns that if they had waited until a ruling next year their claims would have proven too late.

The allegations of the breaches came to light on November 5, 2018, when the German website Der Speigel published a series of hacked documents. The statute of limitations includes a six-year period for breaches of contract from the date they are reported, if committed in secret.

Should City be found guilty, rivals could claim loss of income from revenue streams they missed as a result of their actions, such as Premier League place money and European qualification. These amounts could potentially run into hundreds of millions.