'I'll buy the beer!' - Jurgen Klopp jokes at garden parade if Man City stripped of titles | OneFootball

Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has said he'll hold a party in Mallorca if Manchester City are stripped of their Premier League titles because of financial breaches.

City were investigated by the Premier League after allegedly breaking 115 financial rules between 2009 and 2018 - claims the one-time Champions League winners vehemently deny - and the case was referred to an independent commission in February 2023.

The independent commission's ruling is expected in the first quarter of this year, with a heavy fine, significant points deduction, relegation from the Premier League and stripping of previous titles all potential outcomes.

Klopp has taken on a new role as head of global soccer at Red Bull, who operate Leipzig, Salzburg and Red Bulls, and was questioned at his unveiling about what his reaction would be were City to be found guilty.

"We had this discussion when I left," Klopp said. "I haven't spent a lot of time in Mallorca because I am always flying around the place. But if it would happen, I told all the people who wanted to [come]: 'Just book a flight to Mallorca. I will buy the beer!' We'd have our own parade in my garden."

Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola enjoyed a tremendous rivalry / Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/GettyImages

"Oh God… what a headline! We will see. I didn’t follow (the details of the case) at all. It could be two months (away from a finding)? Wow."

Klopp was City's biggest rival for a number of years after re-establishing Liverpool as one of English football's most dominant forces.

The Reds won their first top-flight title in 30 years when they cantered to the 2020/21 Premier League title and they finished as runners-up to Pep Guardiola's side in the 2018/19 and 2021/22 campaigns - the former of those second-place finishes saw Liverpool lose just one game and finish on 97 points.

After eight-and-a-half gruelling years in charge, Klopp opted to walk away from Liverpool in the summer citing burnout and the need to step back from management. He was succeeded at Anfield by Arne Slot, who has enjoyed a seamless transition and sits top of the Premier League table with over half of the season gone - City are 12 points behind and languishing in sixth.