PL clubs agree to introduce spending cap but United 1 of 3 clubs to vote against

PREMIER LEAGUE clubs have agreed to push ahead with rules that would cap spending for the first time - despite opposition from Manchester United AND Manchester City.

A two hour “shareholder” meeting of the 20 clubs ended with an agreement that new regulations “anchoring” spending to the lowest earning Premier League side should be drafted ahead of the summer Annual General Meeting.

Man City and Man Utd were joined by Aston Villa in opposing the move, with Chelsea understood to have abstained.

And the players’ union has now publicly voiced its concerns over the impact.

The full measures remain to be confirmed by League legal experts.

But it is likely that clubs will be restricted to spending between 4.5 and five times the TV revenue of the lowest-paid club from 2025-25 - bottom-placed Southampton bagged £104m last term.

Clubs agreed to move to a “legal and economic analysis” of the concept - signalling the arguments of some clubs that restricting spending might be illegal.

The PFA has also stepped into the issue, with a warning that it would potentially fight the proposals.

A spokesman said: “We will obviously wait to see further details of these specific proposals, but we have always been clear that we would oppose any measure that would place a ‘hard’ cap on player wages.

“There is an established process in place to ensure that proposals like this, which would directly impact our members, have to be properly consulted on.”

Champions City were the Prem’s biggest spenders last term, with a wage bill of £423m in addition to paying agents £51.5m and an “amortisation” sum of annual transfer instalments of £145m.

A cap of 4.5 times the bottom club’s income might have imperilled City and Chelsea last term - although until the full