Manchester City are on the brink of becoming the next big Premier League club to commit to pay all who work for them the “real” Living Wage.

On the day Manchester United were condemned over their failure to do the same having made Alexis Sanchez the highest-paid player ever in England, the Telegraph can reveal runaway league leaders City are close to concluding deals that would leave their arch-rivals trailing in their wake once more.

City insist they already pay the independently-calculated Living Wage of £8.75 per hour to all staff but admit they also have contracts in place with suppliers which sees some who do work on their behalf earn less than that.

However, it has pledged to renegotiate those deals, and the Telegraph has learnt that the necessary changes to the one or two which remain in place are on the brink of being concluded.

City’s closeness to joining Chelsea, Everton and West Ham United - with Liverpool expected this summer - by becoming an accredited Living Wage Employer appears to be behind the decision by campaigners to solely target United on Thursday.