Manchester City’s legal battle with the Premier League over sponsorship rules may not reach a verdict until NEXT YEAR – with a tribunal into latest proceedings set to start in October

Manchester City‘s war with the Premier League over sponsorship rules could rumble on for another YEAR.

The four-in-a-row champions launched a fresh legal assault on the competition after it amended regulations that City had previously and successfully challenged.

Earlier on Tuesday, The Lawyer reported that a tribunal would not hear the arguments in the latest case until mid-October.

While both the Premier League and City declined to comment, insiders believe the date to be accurate.

When City challenged the previous rules, the panel sat in June and an initial verdict was not delivered until September – with a final ruling returned in February.

Should the timeline remain similar, and there is no reason not to believe that will be the case, it could mean that a verdict on the rules which are currently in play would not land until next spring as the saga drags on.

Pep Guardiola’s side launched a fresh legal assault on the competition after it amended regulations that City had previously and successfully challenged

The Premier League – fronted by chief executive Richard Masters (pictured) – amended their rules rather than rewriting them following a vote by top-flight clubs in November

Lawyers for City initially argued that the new Associated Party Transaction rules – designed to stop clubs from signing inflated commercial deals with firms linked to their owners and introduced following the Saudi-led takeover of Newcastle United – contravened competition law.

A panel ruled in their favour however, despite warnings from City, the Premier League pushed on with a number of tweaks. City then launched another legal challenge, claiming that the new regulations continue to ‘discriminate’ and highlighting a host of rivals, including Arsenal, who they say enjoy an unfair advantage.

The same panel which sided with City on their original complaint will again rule on the latest dispute. Should City again emerge successful the Premier League could see its financial rules thrown into disarray with its clubs hit with another hefty legal bill. The previous case is thought to have cost more than £20m.

The matter is separate from the 130 charges brought against City by the league for alleged breaches of financial rules.