Manchester City’s financial-rules case has produced its first transfer-market talking point. Former Aston Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor has urged Manchester United to sign City duo Gianluigi Donnarumma and Elliot Anderson if the club are removed from the Premier League.
“Manchester United will go and nick their number one goalkeeper.”
He was unconvinced by United’s current keeper, Senne Lammens. He criticised his performances for Belgium at the World Cup and his form this season, and pointed to a save that led to an own goal against Fulham.
Agbonlahor said on talkSPORT: “Donnarumma – I have been watching Lammens. Poor at the World Cup, cost Belgium in that game, and I think he has not been great this season.
“Look at the own goal – Lisandro Martinez against Fulham. He has got to be better with that save. I am not convinced in him.
“I will say Donnarumma to Manchester United. Manchester United will go and nick their number one goalkeeper.”
On Anderson, he said United had wanted the midfielder and should now get him at a much lower price than City paid.
“Elliot Anderson – Manchester United wanted you, now you go there,” he added.
The talk follows a report from The Athletic on Friday that an independent commission had found City guilty on 114 of the 115 charges brought by the Premier League. The charges relate to alleged breaches of financial rules between 2009 and 2018 and were first laid in February 2023.
Neither the Premier League nor City has confirmed the outcome. No sanctions have been announced, and City are expected to appeal. Sky Sports News understands the process is moving to that stage.
It was reported that a fine, a transfer ban, a points deduction and even expulsion from the league have all been raised as possible punishments. Those remain speculation until any decision is published.
Manchester City chairman urges calm amidst the report
City responded with a statement on Friday, followed by an open letter from chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak on Saturday. He told supporters the process “still has a long way to run” and that the club’s belief in proving its innocence remained as strong as when the case began.
He acknowledged the noise around the club, saying that “nothing has changed”.
He also said confidentiality around the legal process meant he could not say more, and that even his letter had been checked by lawyers.
Meanwhile, the uncertainty lands on new head coach Enzo Maresca, who replaced Pep Guardiola in the summer. The Italian was Guardiola’s assistant during the treble season of 2022-23, but the charges relate to a period before that.
When he was appointed, Maresca said he had no concerns about the case, remarking that the same questions had been asked three years earlier.
Since Friday’s reports he has said little directly. He posted a quotation from Socrates on Instagram, followed by a line of his own, as Read Man City and Give Me Sport reported.
“Time to breathe. Time to analyse. Time to learn.”
Maresca has not said the post referred to the verdict. It should be noted that he and his players go into the international break after a perfect start to their league season.
Why the transfer talk is premature
Agbonlahor’s suggestion is a hypothetical built on an unconfirmed verdict and an appeal that has yet to be heard. Even in a worst-case scenario, it is unclear how quickly any punishment could take effect.
The players concerned only arrived recently. Donnarumma joined from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2025 for a reported £26million, and City paid £116m this summer to sign Anderson from Nottingham Forest, after United balked at Forest’s asking price. That reported total of £142m is why the pair have become the focus of this debate.
For now, City’s priorities are on the pitch. After the international break they travel to Anfield to face Liverpool, then host Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, fixtures Al Mubarak highlighted in his letter.
