The Citizens will not be able to participate in any European competition for two years, with sources at the Etihad believing that their rivals played a part in this decision.

Another bombshell report has dropped surrounding Man City and their recent ban from all European competitions. According to Matt Slater from the Athletic, the Citizens believe that other European elites played a part in their sanction.

The Premier League giants have been barred for European competitions – the Champions League, basically – for two years due to FFP breaches. UEFA found the Abu Dhabi-owned club guilty of overstating their sponsorship income and have thus prohibited them from taking part in their club competitions until the 2022/23 season.

However, according to sources at the Etihad Stadium, European football's governing body was pressured into taking this decision by a few of the continent's top teams. Three in particular were mention: Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and PSG.

The Spanish and German heavyweights are hinted to be the big culprits. Los Blancos and the Bavarians, alongside "the English clubs, persuaded UEFA into banning Man City, with PSG being a part of that group.

Les Parisiens, similar to the Citizens, have also come under heavy scrutiny over their spending. The Ligue 1 giants infamously signed Mbappe and Neymar in the same transfer window back in 2017 but avoided FFP punishment by the skin of their teeth. The Premier League giants submitted an appeal to CAS but some suggest they will face an uphill battle to get this decision overturned.

If this report is true and Man City believe Real Madrid played a part in their European ban, it will be interesting when the two clubs lock horns in the Champions League next week. Guardiola's men will travel to the Bernabeu for the first leg and the Citizens aim to make the quarter-finals in what could be their last season until 2022.