Manchester City will open their Premier League season against Tottenham tonight (Sunday, 18:30), but the winds around the English champions are stormy mainly due to the issue of its large spending on procurement, and claims that it violates the rules of financial fair play.
"We can not match City, because of course they have no limits," claimed Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, and his City counterpart Pep Guardiola decided to respond to the allegations.
"We have limitations because of the financial fair play," Guardiola replied to Klopp, "We are just like everyone else. In addition, each club decides for itself how it operates. Each season we pass the control like all teams. If we operate improperly - prove it." .
The move comes in the wake of the huge transfer of Jack Grillish, who was bought from Aston Villa for a record £ 100million.
Pep apparently felt the criticism was coming from clubs whose owners were not interested in investing on the same scale as City.
"I said before, there are owners who want the income for themselves. Our owners do not want to lose money but if they can spend it, they will."
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Will stay in London ?, AP
The coach added: "In the past Manchester United won a lot of titles because they spent more money than the other clubs. Do you remember that? They spent more than Manchester City because then we could not do it. Before that it was one club, or two, "Or two and a half. Then came other clubs - Chelsea with Roman Abramovich, we with Sheikh Mansour. They also want to be in this world, so what's the problem?"
Another issue that will be at the center of the Citizens' meeting with Tottenham tonight will be Harry Kane.
According to reports this morning in England, Spurs owner Daniel Levy is determined to keep the striker on the team.
Goalkeeper Hugo Loris addressed the issue in an interview in England: "We can not hide the situation in the air, but it is his business with the club. If the coach has to use him he will play like a professional."
In any case, Kane is not expected to start in the lineup of Nono Espirito Santo, because he only started training with the team on Friday.