Manchester City have reportedly launched a fresh legal challenge against the Premier League's new sponsorship rules. The majority of top-flight clubs voted in favour of the changes to Associated Party Transaction (APT) rules in November.

The rules are designed to prevent how much companies associated with clubs can feed money to them. City launched a legal challenge against the APT rules last June after arguing they were part of “a tyranny of the majority”. An independent arbitration tribunal subsequently concluded that some of the rules were indeed unlawful.

And The Times reports that City are requesting a new arbitration. Lord Pannick, the same barrister who is leading their defence in a separate case against 130 charges of alleged breaches of the Premier League's financial rules, will reportedly oversee the case.

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The Premier League chief executive, Richard Masters, reportedly revealed the latest development in a letter to clubs on Thursday afternoon, which The Times claims to have seen.

“On January 20, 2025, Manchester City FC began a further arbitration to challenge the APT rules,” he reportedly wrote in advance of a shareholders’ meeting next Thursday. “As you will see, the new challenge relates to the amendments to the APT rules that clubs approved at the 22 November 2024 shareholders’ meeting.

"Manchester City FC seeks a declaration that the amendments approved by clubs in November (and therefore the current APT rules in force) are unlawful and void.

“The Premier League remains strongly of the view that the amendments passed in November were lawful and the APT rules comply with all competition law requirements. We consider that the new arbitration must be resolved as soon as possible and, to that end, have agreed that the same tribunal should be appointed to hear the new case.

"The parties are currently corresponding in relation to further directions. The APT rules remain in full force and effect and clubs remain required to comply with all aspects of the system.”