When discussing monetary figures this large, it’s hard to decide which hip-hop lyrics about getting paid we should cite. We’ll go with Ludcaris: “big paper like pancakes stacking ’em up!”
Liverpool FC, according to an ESPN report that surfaced today, are in talks with Nike over a new kit deal that would be the richest in world history. Specific figures aren’t being thrown around at this time, but the current #1 is Manchester United’s 2015 switch from Nike to Adidas, which was worth £750 million ($980m).
Liverpool’s current kit manufacturer, New Balance, doesn’t have the market share, revenue or reputation as some of the biggest apparel makers in the world, but working with NB provides the Merseyside club with an opportunity to be top dog among the partners with their respective brand.
The Anfield outfit’s current deal, worth £45 million per year, is set to expire at the end of the next season. With that in mind, ESPN writes that
Nike are leading the battle to secure the Liverpool contract due to their readiness to put the club in the same earnings league as United.
Liverpool have also held discussions with Adidas and Puma in an effort to secure the highest possible figure for their new kit deal, but the club are deep into negotiations with Nike as they attempt to reach an agreement before the New Balance contract enters its final year.
ESPN says that the new deal, if it goes through, will not give Liverpool the most lucrative per season earnings of their apparel deal. And Manchester United doesn’t hold that honor either. Top dog in this regard is Barcelona and their £100 million ($130m) contract with Nike, signed last year.
That arrangement surpassed Real Madrid’s £98 million ($128m) deal that was inked in 2015. If Liverpool joins the Nike family, they’ll be in pretty good company, as the Oregon based behemoth is signed with Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Barca and Paris Saint-Germain.
Of course Adidas has very impressive portfolio themselves:
Manchester United, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.
Obviously, the only thing that could make this potential kit deal sweeter for both Liverpool and Nike is to see the Reds finish the job and end their Premier League title drought this season.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, regularly appears as a guest pundit on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
He also contributes sociopolitical essays to Chicago Now. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram. The content of his cat’s Instagram account is unquestionably superior to his.