Man City guilty verdict: AI predicts which players could leave after 114 charges news - and who they could sign for

After Manchester City were reportedly found guilty of 114 of their 115 charges relating to breaches of the Premier League's financial rules, fans are fearing a potential mass exodus from the club.

A common view is that stars such as Erling Haaland would be unwilling to accept dropping down into England's lower divisions should such a punishment be handed out, though it remains to be seen exactly what repercussions the Citizens may face.

Juventus famously suffered a similar hemorrhaging of talent in the wake of their demotion to Serie B in 2006, losing the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Fabio Cannavaro, Lillian Thuram and Gianluca Zambrotta.

Here, Sports Mole takes a look at AI's predictions for which Man City players could leave the club in the wake of any potential punishment, and who they might sign for.

Rayan Cherki to Real Madrid

Man City signed Rayan Cherki for a cut-price £30.45m in June 2025, and he has produced a commendable 15 goals and 18 assists across 64 games so far.

However, question marks remain about the 23-year-old's attitude, and he could be interested in a switch to Real Madrid should the Citizens suffer major punishment.

Speaking to Onze Mondial back in September 2021, Cherki laid out his 'perfect path' in football, which involved success with Lyon, then with other clubs, and finally on to Real Madrid, who he described as "The club of my dreams."

"That is the perfect route and the one I have in mind. Every morning I wake up for that and to go on and fulfil my dreams," said Cherki.

Nico O'Reilly to Chelsea

The versatile Nico O'Reilly has been around Man City's first-team setup for a number of years now, but he rose to prominence under Pep Guardiola last season, and is capable of playing to a high-level as both a left-back and midfielder.

At just 21-years-old, the Englishman might wish to avoid spending part of his burgeoning career fighting for promotion back to the Premier League, though his ties to Man City run deep considering he came through their academy.

Chelsea could be a potential destination for the talent, considering they had an approach for O'Reilly rejected in January 2025, as they sought to repeat the success they enjoyed when signing Cole Palmer from the Sky Blues in September 2023.

Jeremy Doku to Arsenal

Another name on the possible exit list is winger Jeremy Doku, who made a £55.4m switch to the Etihad Stadium from Rennes in August 2023.

The Belgium attacker has been sidelined for much of the 2026-27 campaign with a calf injury, though he was able to produce nine goals and 12 assists last term.

Arsenal have been mooted as a possible suitor for Doku, considering their failure to sign a marquee forward in the summer, despite links to Bradley Barcola and Vinicius Junior.

Marc Guehi to Liverpool

Marc Guehi could also be heading for the exit door should Man City's punishment be severe enough, despite only joining the club in January this year.

Liverpool could be tempted to revive their interest - as long as the price was reasonable - given that Joe Gomez is likely in the final few months of his Reds career.

Additionally, the Merseysiders' captain Virgil van Dijk is now 35-years-old, and signing an experienced option for the backline could benefit the young defenders in Andoni Iraola's squad.

Erling Haaland to Barcelona

The potential departure that every Man City fan will be fearing is that of talismanic striker Haaland, who has registered an incredible 169 goals and 30 assists across 205 games for the Sky Blues.

Given the numbers involved, the list of possible destinations for the Norway star is particularly short, and with Real Madrid already boasting a fully-stocked forward line featuring Kylian Mbappe up top, Barcelona looks like the most plausible option.

La Blaugrana missed out on Julian Alvarez in the summer, and are still in the market for a central striker to replace Robert Lewandowski, a role that Haaland could fulfil to great effect.

Adding to the draw is the fact that former Man City midfielder Rodri joined Hansi Flick's side for £65m in August, and Haaland could be tempted by the chance to link up with the Ballon d'Or winner once again.