Manchester City are helping drive a new European youth Champions League.
The Manchester Evening News says City played a behind-closed-doors match against Ajax in Amsterdam last month as part of a scheme for an under-18 version of the elite European competition to begin next season and initially called the New Generation League.
Liverpool also played Celtic as many of Europe's top clubs have thrown their weight behind the idea, aimed at under-18 players.
Chelsea, Tottenham and Sporting Lisbon have also been heavily involved in devising the plan, with the two Milan clubs, Real Madrid and Barcelona now reported to have added their considerable weight to it.
The idea is to give young players experience of the different pressures of playing midweek games in Europe, and to come across different styles of play.
Eventually, organisers hope that the Youth Champions League will run parallel to the senior tournament, and finals may even be played as curtain-raiser to the main event in May.
