Man City can stomach Manchester United raid but biggest challenge looms

Listening to Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak speak about another successful season on the pitch while hailing further growth off it, it is easy to see the Etihad dynasty lasting a while longer.

A fourth Premier League title in a row confirmed the Blues as England's greatest club side with the promise of more to come. Al Mubarak hailed the "economic machine" that City have developed after posting record revenues of £712million and praised the sustainability of a club that looks well-placed to continue to dominate.

Al Mubarak could even afford to lavish praise on staff who have left behind the scenes this year, including the most high-profile departure Omar Berrada, who has swapped blue for red in Manchester and the allure of trying to lead the Ineos revival of United.

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There are obvious challenges on the horizon for this club, however. One is the hearing into the 115 charges levelled by the Premier League, while the club's legal battle with the league over the outlawing of associated party transactions (APT) is another key moment.

But maybe most pressingly of all is the departure of Pep Guardiola, which could come as soon as 12 months from now, with an exit at the end of his contract in 2025 looking increasingly likely. During Guardiola's nine years in charge City have absorbed the departures and retirements of key players, they have coped with executive losses in the business. Finding a way to deal with Guardiola leaving would be greater than all of those.

The reason for the club's ability to deal with people leaving is that power base of Guardiola,