Since winning the Premier League title in stunning fashion in 2012, Manchester City had solidified itself as a giant in the sport. That all could come crashing down soon, and the U.S. men's national team's top young prospect Cavan Sullivan could find himself impacted amid the fallout.
Manchester City was found guilty last week of 114 of 115 charges of serious financial violations. On Tuesday, an independent commission found City guilty of all charges, including sham payments exceeding $1.19 billion between 2008 and 2018. The club has until Friday to appeal the findings, but the verdict against Manchester City appears to be devastating.
Over the course of City's financially corrupt run, the club won eight Premier League titles, four FA Cup titles, six
EFL Cup titles and won the UEFA Champions League in 2023. The club could be potentially facing a forfeiture of those trophies, massive points deductions, relegation and transfer bans.
What does this mean for Cavan Sullivan?
Back in 2014, the Philadelphia Union agreed to sell the then-14-year-old prospect to Manchester City for $5 million. The deal was structured as a pre-agreement that would keep Sullivan with the Union in MLS until he turns 18. Sullivan — who also holds a German passport — is ineligible to play in the United Kingdom as a minor, but he is allowed to play for a club within the European Union.
Cavan Sullivan, that's a BEAUTY 🤩
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) August 30, 2026
The 16-year-old scores in back-to-back games to double the @PhilaUnion lead! pic.twitter.com/xEPIrxMb5M
Sullivan's deal with City was met with plenty of hype at the time. But since August, the now-17-year-old has made a meteoric rise in MLS, making him a much more valuable player than the initial $5 million fee.
Should Manchester City get hit with severe sanctions, look for Sullivan and his reps to force a way out of the City deal. His agent Dan Segal has already expressed uncertainty that Sullivan ever makes it to City.
“Manchester City is one of the biggest clubs in the world,” Segal stated following this week’s reports. “What they have built will forever be etched in history. It’s true that there is a preliminary agreement with them regarding Sullivan, but you never know what can happen. We hope they manage to resolve everything in the best possible way.”
What are Sullivan's options?
Sullivan just turned 17 on Monday, so he has time to enjoy his first USMNT senior call-up and a phenomenal season with the Union. And with such promising performances in MLS, Europe's biggest clubs are taking notice.
City will likely find itself offloading talent like Sullivan, and its competitors will be waiting. Early reports have Barcelona, Real Madrid and PSG monitoring Sullivan's situation.
Sullivan would be eligible to join those clubs in the January window if a deal went through. Until then, we'll have to wait and see how the situation plays out.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: What does the Manchester City scandal mean for USMNT phenom Cavan Sullivan?
