Manchester City are set to be investigated by the FA for the deal which took a 14-year-old Jadon Sancho to the club back in 2014, due to an alleged illegal payment to the player's agent.
Sancho joined City from Watford and spent two years at the club before moving to Borussia Dortmund, where the current star is currently in the midst of a breakthrough season in the Bundesliga.
In leaks published by German news outlet Der Spiegel (and reported by the Times), it is alleged that Manchester City made an illegal payment of £200,000 to agent Emeka Obasi as part of a scouting deal to find players in South and Central America.
However it is reported that this payment was in regards to the transfer of the agent's client Jadon Sancho, with the reason behind the payment being changed to avoid clearly breaking FIFA rules, preventing the payment of agents in the transfers of youth players.
It is also alleged that the club sent an email to Sancho's father outlining what the player would earn at the club upon turning professional. However, a club lawyer has moved to state that the email was not a contract offer.
When asked for comment about the leaks, an FA spokeswoman confirmed to the Times that the matter is now under investigation.
City have released a statement clarifying that the club will not comment fully on documents which had been obtained illegally by Der Spiegel.
The club statement regarding the accusations said: "In relation to the story published by Der Spiegel, and contrary to their assertion that Manchester City FC did not respond to their query – please see below statement which was sent to them earlier this week.
"You will have seen this statement before. However, it is important to use it in full, as each element is material, as we pointed out to Der Spiegel in our reply.
"We will not be providing any comment on out-of-context materials purported to have been hacked or stolen from City Football Group and Manchester City personnel and associated people. The attempt to damage the club's reputation is organised and clear."
Source : 90min