Man City sent relegation warning as Premier League charges case rumbles on

 It's claimed Manchester City is likely to face a virtual relegation from the Premier League if it's found guilty of its alleged financial rule violations.

Alongside this latest update, there's a suggestion that City may be used as an example to deter other clubs. However, any notion that the EFL would refuse City's entry into the Championship, League One or League Two seems baseless according to the league's rules.

A points deduction is supposedly the most probable outcome - if City is found guilty - and the team could allegedly face a penalty about six times more severe than Everton's initial punishment for breaching profitability and sustainability rules. Everton was initially deducted 10 points last season before that punishment was reduced to six points on appeal. The Toffees were later handed another two-point penalty for a further rule breach.

These claims come from football finance expert Kieran Maguire on the fourth episode of the Football on Trial: The Manchester City Charges podcast on BBC Sounds.

"A points deduction would be the most likely outcome should the club be found guilty," stated the University of Liverpool lecturer. "As for the quantum of a points deduction, if Everton were initially given a 10 points deduction for going around about £10/12 million over the limits in one particular season, I think, in order to set an example to the rest of football, it's got to act as a deterrent.

"We'll probably be looking at somewhere in the region of 60 to 100 points, which would effectively guarantee relegation out of the Premier League and into the lower tiers of football in the EFL."

Delving deeper into the matter, Maguire addressed rumours regarding the EFL's stance on City. He added: "There has been a suggestion that the EFL might refuse to accept Manchester City in terms of its competition, but looking at their rulebook, I don't think that is feasible."

David Ornstein from The Athletic has indicated that a decision is anticipated to come in the spring. City has been charged with 115 breaches of the Premier League's financial rules, with a verdict still to be delivered. The Manchester club denies the charges.