Wednesday 27 February 2019 12:47, UK
The FA are investigating allegations that Manchester City paid Jadon Sancho's agent a fee for his transfer from Watford while the player was still a minor.
According to a report by Der Spiegel, City paid Emeka Obasi a sum of £200,000 when the then 14-year-old Sancho moved to their academy in 2015.
The German publication has published more "leaked" documents that claim to show the reigning Premier League champions also attempted to conceal that payment by giving Obasi a contract to work as a scout.
The report claims, however, that that same amount appears on an internal City table under an "agent fee" heading for the Sancho deal.
Both FA and FIFA rules state that agents are not allowed to represent players until the year in which they turn 16, and a Football Association spokesperson told Sky Sports News: "We can confirm that we will be investigating the allegations."
When contacted by Sky Sports News, City referred back to their previous statement made in late 2018 after they were accused of "systematically" breaching FFP along with a number of other top European clubs, also in a report by Der Spiegel.
They said: "We will not be providing any comment on out of context materials purportedly 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."
City are already being investigated by UEFA for possible breaches of football's Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules.
In January, UEFA's chief FFP investigator Yves Leterme said that "if what has been written about Manchester City is true…this can lead to the heaviest punishment - exclusion from UEFA competitions".
Chelsea were recently handed a two-transfer window ban by FIFA after being found guilty of breaking the rules on signing minors, which they have subsequently appealed.
Sky Sports News has attempted to contact Sancho's agent Obasi for a response but are yet to receive a reply.
