New Liverpool announcement teases secret £50m off-pitch deal that's already signed

Liverpool’s latest official announcement may just give a clue about a deal that has already been agreed behind the scenes.

This summer and perhaps the entirety of 2024-25 will be a period of transition for Liverpool, who will be adjusting to life without Jurgen Klopp.

But while new head coach Arne Slot may ring the changes on the training ground and in the dressing room, the remit of the club’s moneymen remains the same.

Liverpool’s revenue has more than doubled since John Henry and his Fenway Sports Group bought the club in 2011, and their total turnover in the last decade alone has been almost £4.3bn.

One area that has seen particular growth is commercial revenue streams, which have almost trebled in that period and are set to reach record levels again when the club releases its accounts for 2023-24.

Sponsorship is a big part of that, with Liverpool’s most lucrative deals being their front-of-shirt partnership with Standard Chartered and their kit deal with Nike.

And the latest news from Anfield is further evidence that Liverpool are about to net an upswing in the latter department.

Liverpool’s new Japanese deal signals Adidas announcement is on the way

Liverpool have been partnered with American sportswear giants Nike since 2020-21, when they replaced New Balance in a deal that ended in legal proceedings, which Liverpool eventually won.

The Reds took a far smaller annual base rate, around £30m, from Nike on the condition that they get a larger cut of shirt sales.

But the makeup of that deal appears not to have met Liverpool’s expectations as it emerged earlier this year that the club would switch to Adidas in a deal that has already been formally agreed but is being kept under wraps for the time being.

Significantly, Liverpool have just announced a deal with Japan Airlines, who will become the club’s first airline partner since Malaysia Airlines in 2019.

While the Adidas and Japan Airlines deals may seem unrelated at first, Japan is a key Adidas market. So much so in fact that it was a key reason that new Adidas recruit Newcastle decided to tour Japan for their pre-season ahead of 2024-25.

Liverpool also have a partnership with Japanese publishing Kodansha and have focused a great deal of their commercial firepower in the east Asian market in recent years.

The tie-in with Japan Airlines is yet another signal that the Adidas deal, worth £50m per season, is now foregone conclusion.

Liverpool will rake in record commercial revenue in 2024

Liverpool’s commercial revenue stood at £272m in 2022-23 according to their most recent set of accounts.

That figure, which is comprised of income from sponsorship and merchandising, was the club’s highest ever total in this category.

The Japan Airlines deal will likely be worth £10m-plus over the entirety of the contract meanwhile, while the Adidas deal will be worth £250m in total.

Those deals, as well as the club’s repository of other lucrative commercial arrangements, should guarantee them well over £300m in revenue in 2025-26, when the Adidas deal is set to be take hold.