Premier League champions handed significant reprieve.
Find out who are the richest footballers in the Premier League here.
Manchester City’s plans for next season have been made an awful lot simpler as UEFA have reduced the number of home-grown players they must select in their Champions League squad from eight to five, reports BT Sport.
The Premier League champions have already been told that they can only select a squad of 21, rather than 25, for next season’s Champions League. It had been thought that they would still have to pick eight home-grown players in this reduced squad, but UEFA have decided to relax that requirement.
The general secretary of UEFA, Gianni Infantino, said of the decision: “It came after a request from the players’ union FIFPro saying when you take these kind of sanctions and measures you cannot harm the players and the rights of a player who has a contract for the behaviour of the clubs.
“So we looked at it and it was felt appropriate there for the number to be proportionally reduced as well.”
There had been fears that City would not be able to fulfill the home-grown requirements with first team players if they had indeed had to choose eight. The likes of James Milner, Micah Richards and Joleon Lescott are all expected to leave this summer, leaving them with just Joe Hart, Gael Clichy, Jack Rodwell and Gael Clichy who were registered home-grown last season.
City are yet to make any signings this summer, but the players they have been linked with have generally not been home-grown talents.
Read more Manchester City news