£1.2bn on transfers with £830m inflated in accounts - Man City's 'asterisk era'

Manchester City's extraordinary run of dominance is being reassessed under what BBC Sport calls an "asterisk era," following the club's acknowledged breaches of financial regulations during their most successful years.

According to BBC Sport's analysis, City spent roughly £1.2bn on transfers across the period in question, with around £830m of that figure linked to sponsorship income that was found to have been inflated in the club's accounts. That inflated revenue, the report notes, played a significant role in how City were able to fund such sustained heavy spending while still appearing compliant with financial rules.

The findings form part of BBC Sport's wider look back at City's trophy-laden stretch, examining how financial irregularities may have underpinned the squad-building that turned them into the Premier League's dominant force. The piece does not detail further punishments but focuses on contextualising the scale of City's spending against the backdrop of the breaches already admitted to.

BBC Sport's report raises fresh questions over how City's success during this period should now be viewed, given the financial foundations now under scrutiny.