From France: Manchester City star wins image rights legal battle in court

Manchester City forward Jeremy Doku is part of a four-player group to have successfully won a legal battle relating to image rights in France.

The 21-year-old completed a £55.5 million move to the Etihad Stadium last August, moving to Manchester City from Stade Rennais despite interest from a series of other Premier League clubs, including West Ham United and Tottenham.

The Belgian forward has made 41 appearances during his debut season in England, and has been directly involved in 13 goals for Manchester City, across the Premier League, UEFA Champions League and Emirates FA Cup.

Doku could win his first piece of domestic silverware this weekend, with Manchester City requiring a win over West Ham to secure the Premier League title for the sixth time in seven years.

The winger could also lift the FA Cup trophy later this month, with Pep Guardiola’s side facing Manchester United at Wembley Stadium on Saturday 25th May, in a repeat of last season’s historic showdown in north London.

Doku has featured as a substitute in Manchester City’s last three matches, and won a penalty during Tuesday’s pivotal win over Tottenham, as Erling Haaland scored twice in the second-half as part of a key victory.

Despite being focussed on on-field matters, outlet Get French Football News relay claims by L’Equipe, who report that the 21-year-old has been successful in a recent court battle against organisations Pannini and UNFP over image rights.

Doku was amongst a four-player group to reportedly launch legal action against the two parties opposing the use of their image rights without compensation, with a Paris court having ruled in favour of the group of players.

It was ruled that the players’ union did not own the image rights of the those it was selling to Pannini for sticker albums, with Southampton’s Jeremy Pied also part of the action group alongside Doku.