Man City have just dropped biggest charges hint yet as Arsenal and Chelsea learn deal agreed

Manchester City have given the strongest hint yet that they do not anticipate a severe punishment for their alleged 115-plus rule breaches, after securing Erling Haaland on the longest contract in Premier League history. The Norwegian striker has committed to a near 115-month, nine-and-a-half-year, deal, indicating his plan to remain at City for most of his career.

The agreement, which extends until 2034, is believed to have eliminated any release clause from his previous contract due to expire in 2027. The forward has scored an impressive 79 goals in 87 Premier League matches for City, bagging the Golden Boot award in both his seasons playing in England.

Arsenal's regular title competitors currently face over 115 violations of the Premier League's financial regulations spanning from 2009 to 2018. An independent commission is set to deliver a verdict on the breach this Spring, with potential penalties including hefty fines and possible points deductions for the Manchester club.

City have consistently refuted any breaches, with manager Pep Guardiola expressing he was "fully convinced" of his team's innocence when the news first emerged. It appears the club remains confident of overcoming the charges as it continues to draw top talents to the Etihad, despite the looming threat of points deductions - with potential expulsion from the Premier League also being speculated as a possible punishment.

Football finance expert Kieran Maguire has claimed that the Premier League may struggle to relegate the English champions if they are found guilty, but could impose a points deduction that would make relegation to the Championship inevitable. This major claim comes as Liverpool and other clubs await an outcome to the case.

If this were to happen, it's expected that City's top players, such as Haaland, would leave to continue playing at Europe's highest level. The most notable case of a similar incident is the Calciopoli match-fixing scandal in Italy which saw Serie A champions Juventus stripped of their title and relegated to the second division.

Key players like Alessandro Del Piero, Pavel Nedved and Gianluigi Buffon stayed with Juventus while Fabio Cannavaro, Patrick Vieira and Zlatan Ibrahimovic decided to leave that summer. However, Haaland's new and lucrative deal seems to be a clear indication that he expects to stay with the club for a long time.

In fact, the forward would be 34 years old at the time of the contract expiration. The Blue half of Manchester has been in unrecognisable form this season, currently sitting in 6th position - 12 points off leaders Liverpool.