Manchester City players are in danger of losing bonuses of up to £500,000 each if they miss out on the Champions League.

The Daily Mail reports that City's stars will miss out on the financial windfall if they drop out of the Premier League's top four by season's end.

City were beaten 4-2 by Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday which saw fifth-placed Southampton go within five points of a Champions League play-off position with six fixtures remaining and has given sixth-placed Liverpool the opportunity to move four points in arrears if they can beat Newcastle United on Monday night.

It is believed that top-paid players like Sergio Aguero, David Silva, Joe Hart and Yaya Toure will lose the aforementioned bonus if a top-four spot is not achieved.