Manchester City are bracing for a sanction that will punish but not destroy them, according to a claim from the ongoing Financial Fair Play saga.
The phrase 'punished but not destroyed' has been doing the rounds, and it is a curious bit of comfort. It suggests the club will take a hit without being wiped out. That is not nothing, but it is hardly a rallying cry either.
There is also a '100%' claim doing the rounds about Erling Haaland's next move. The detail is thin, but the certainty attached to it is striking. If that certainty holds, it could shape what comes next at the Etihad.
For now, the picture remains murky. City are set for a sanction. The scale of it, the timing, and the knock-on effects are all still to be clarified. The club has been here before, in one form or another, but this feels different.
What is clear is that the phrase 'punished but not destroyed' will be tested. It is one thing to say it. It is another to live through it.