The football world was rocked on Thursday morning with the announcement that the UK Government has imposed sanctions on Russian oligarch and Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, as part of measures designed to put pressure on Russian president Vladimir Putin over his invasion of Ukraine.
Abramovich announced his intention to sell the club just last week but the government has now frozen all of his assets - including Chelsea - before a sale could be completed.
The 'Russian Regulations' license that Chelsea will now operate under until at least May 31st allows them to fulfil fixtures and pay players and staff but it prevents the signing of players, the sale of tickets and merchandise and the renewal of contracts, among other things.
It's a shocking development but how does it affect Manchester City? There are a few ways to view this from a sky blue perspective.
Potential summer moves
Depending on how long the sanctions last and the plans of any potential new owner - according to The Telegraph, the sanctions will not necessarily stop Abramovich from selling Chelsea - there could be a number of players leaving Stamford Bridge in the summer.
The contracts of Antonio Rudiger and Saul Niguez (on loan from Atletico Madrid) expire in June, but Chelsea cannot now negotiate new deals with them. The likes of Jorginho and N'Golo Kante have less than 18 months left on their deals, the former a player that Pep Guardiola has long admired.
Chelsea have relied on Abramovich's funding over the past 19 years, so may be forced into making sales to boost income. One can imagine City being interested in players like Christian Pulisic, Mason Mount and Callum Hudson-Odoi.
Great rivalry moves up north
Guardiola and Thomas Tuchel are two of the best coaches around and each has great respect for the other. Their Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund sides were involved in some epic clashes and the same can be said of City and Chelsea since the German joined the London club in early 2021.
Tuchel got the better of Guardiola in their first three Premier League meetings, a trio of defeats ending in Champions League final pain for City.
This season though City and Pep got their revenge, dominating Tuchel's side in 1-0 wins both at home and away.
If Chelsea cannot afford to keep their coach in light of the sanctions, he could leave. One potential suitor would be Manchester United, who it's safe to say could do with a brilliant coach like him.
As Sunday's derby win showed, City are lightyears ahead of United but the German coach moving up north could close the gap over the coming years.
Lockdown-ball 2.0
No-one wants to see a return to games played in front of empty stands but that could be the case if Chelsea progress in the Champions League.
Under the sanctions, Chelsea will not be allowed to sell any more match tickets before the end of the season, although season-ticket holders can still attend games.
However, it is not clear whether or not season ticket holders will be allowed to attend home legs in the Champions League quarter-finals or semi-finals, should Chelsea get there.
If the answer is no, and City draw Chelsea, then Guardiola's side might have to play an away leg in an empty Stamford Bridge.
What's your view on the sanctions handed down to Roman Abramovich and Chelsea? Follow the City Is Ours team and Alex Brotherton on Twitter to get involved in the discussion and give us your thoughts in the comments section below.
