Manchester City have reportedly received support from Aston Villa as their bitter battle with the Premier League intensifies. All 20 Premier League clubs are expected to vote on amended Associated Party Transactions (APT) regulations on Friday, following legal action brought by City in June.

The current champions have argued that some of the current ATP rules are “illegal” and unfairly restrict revenue-earning clubs.

Last month, an independent panel upheld some of their complaints, finding that low-interest shareholder loans should not be excluded from the scope of the rules and that changes made in February to tighten regulations violated competition law.

Last week, city officials wrote to their 19 rivals asking for their support in voting against the proposed changes. In the letter, they accused the authorities of “rushing through the consultation process” and claimed that the amendments were still distorted.

This followed the Premier League itself writing to City and saying it “rejects in the strongest possible terms the repeated and baseless assertions” it had made throughout the legal process. She also accused the champions of “baseless” threats of legal action.

But according to the telegraphAston Villa is a club to align with City. The Midlands club are understood to have contacted other top clubs to “strongly recommend” that Friday’s vote be postponed.

Villa’s owners are said to have privately sympathized with City’s cause. However, their show of support will be seen as a significant development amid fears of a civil war in English football.

Their letter would focus on three key arguments. They argued more time was needed to allow for potential new legal challenges, to clarify the court’s findings and to make further changes to the rules following the introduction of the independent regulator.

City’s case is not linked to the fact that the club is accused of 115 alleged violations of financial fair play rules. A verdict on this case is not expected until early 2025 and could potentially have huge consequences if the club is found guilty.