Manchester City will reinforce their standing as English football's wealthiest club by confirming an estimated £120million deal to rename their Eastlands ground the Etihad Stadium.
Though details of the stadium naming rights deal with City's shirt sponsors Etihad Airways were being kept under wraps, it is thought to be worth £10-12million a year over the next 10 years and is the most most lucrative deal in the club's history.
Changing brand: Manchester City are set to rename their Eastlands ground the Etihad Stadium
Concerns were immediately expressed over whether the deal might contravene UEFA's financial fair play guidelines, and City are likely to face an investigation.
Under the new rules, clubs have been warned about spending more than they earn and about sponsorship deals that may appear to be for inflated amounts.
If it is felt a figure has been fixed to give income levels an artificial boost, UEFA could step in and take action.
Back to work: Roberto Mancini oversees Manchester City training earlier this week
At more than double the amount Arsenal received for naming rights at The Emirates Stadium, City's deal may well raise eyebrows and is sure to be looked into by the Premier League. Checks will be made to ensure Etihad's outlay can be justified and that UEFA's guidelines have not been breached.
City have been exploring ways of generating extra revenue, to meet the criteria and enable their big spending to continue, and are delighted with the agreement they have struck with the United Arab Emirates' national airline.
Since acquiring City in September, 2008, Sheikh Mansour has ploughed close on £1billion into transforming their fortunes and competing on at least an equal footing with near rivals Manchester United.
Feeling Blue: City will claim Arsenal have undersold naming rights at Ashburton Grove
It is understood City's heirarchy are unconcerned about any investigation by the Premier League or UEFA and confident they can satisfy all the fair play conditions.
They will argue that their increasingly high profile, and the exposure from worldwide media coverge, will equate to an acceptable return for Etihad's massive investment.
They could also claim Arsenal may have undersold naming rights at Ashburton Grove, when they struck a £100million-plus 15-year deal with Emirates in October, 2004.
Signed, sealed, delivered: Clichy arrived on a £7m deal from Arsenal earlier this month
That figure included around £48million for an eight-year shirt sponsorship agreement with Emirates and meant they were charging only around £4million a year for the new ground to be named after the airline.
City were always looking to go down the same path, after persuading Manchester City Council to let them sell naming rights last year, and were in no doubt they could attract significantly higher bidders.
Their new agreement with a company who already sponsor their shirts to the tune of £2.3million a year could prove telling in the new era of financial restraint, particularly after losses of almost £120million last year.
Gunning for a move: Nasri could follow former Arsenal team-mate Clichy to Man City in a £20m deal
Such a deficit had to be addressed, and today's announcement will be seen as a significant step towards being able to continue the sort of spending that has become commonplace at Eastlands in recent years.
They are hopeful of landing £20million-rated Arsenal midfielder Samir Nasri, after already paying Partizan Belgrade £6million for defender Stefan Savic and £7m for Arsenal defender Gael Clichy.
They are also being strongly linked with a £40million bid for Atletico Madrid frontrunner Sergio Aguero, also wanted by Real Madrid and Juventus.
