Man City news: Cityzens could avoid relegation... but still face mass player exodus

Manchester City do not yet officially know their punishment after being found guilty of breaches. However, the club are still expected to avoid relegation... while losing a large number of players?

Found guilty of 114 breaches out of 115, the English club face a heavy punishment, including relegation to the Championship.

This has led to a lot of speculation around the stars of Manchester City: will Erling Haaland, Rayan Cherki or Jeremy Doku stay at the club beyond the summer of 2027, or leave for other European giants?

The punishment, which should be made official soon, will partly answer that question.

A punishment applied 'next season' for Manchester City?

TalkSPORT journalist Alan Brazil has revealed that the side managed by Enzo Maresca should avoid relegation to the second tier... while receiving a fairly heavy punishment.

Brazil said – 'It is not completely certain, but two sources have confirmed to me that City are going to receive a 60-point deduction from the Premier League, and the punishment will be applied next season."

"That would give the club a better chance of staying up. I am not guaranteeing it will be the final decision, but that is what is being said within the governing bodies. It could satisfy those who want an exemplary punishment and still allow City to survive.'

A Manchester City exodus for... 2028?

Good news? Yes... and no. Remaining in the Premier League, if it is confirmed, would undoubtedly be a relief for the English club, as relegation would disrupt the ecosystem of Manchester City too radically, particularly in financial terms.

But with 60 points fewer than everyone else on the opening day of the 2027-28 season, the club would immediately become serious relegation candidates. In short, Manchester City would play the whole campaign to avoid the drop, not for the top honours.

It is reasonable to assume that if the club qualify for next season's Champions League at the end of this campaign, the team could retain a strong core to play in it in 2027-28.

However, it is not certain that stars such as Erling Haaland or Rayan Cherki would want to play in a team that would need to collect more than 60 points to climb off the bottom of the Premier League.

The exodus of players could therefore happen in two stages: in 2027, with the most impatient, then in 2028, especially if Manchester City go down to the Championship, or fail to qualify for European competition, unless through a competition other than the league, by winning the Champions League in May 2027, for example.

The punishment against Manchester City will soon be made official. Depending on it, the picture will become clearer for what follows, and for the scale of the movements in the 2027 transfer window.