Kieran Maguire: Liverpool may strike new £30m-a-year-plus deal as Nike U-turn on the cards
Liverpool could secure a higher base rate from Nike if they decide to push on with plans to release kits every two years.
That is the view of finance guru Kieran Maguire, speaking exclusively to Football Insider about the Merseysiders’ partnership with the American sportswear giants.
Nike took over from New Balance as Liverpool’s kit supplier in 2020 and pay a reported £30million-a-year for the privilege.
The figure is noticeably smaller than kit deals signed by the likes of Man United and Chelsea because Liverpool accepted a lower base rate in order for a higher cut per unit sold.
The Liverpool ECHO reported on Wednesday (22 June) that Nike are now considering keeping one shirt for two years in order to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.
Maguire claims that the Reds may renegotiate their kit deal if Nike choose to pursue a more eco-friendly model.
“The annual replacement of two and, in the case of some clubs, three kits has crept into football over the course of the last decade,” he told Football Insider’s Adam Williams.
“It’s difficult to justify from a sustainability perspective. Organisations such as Nike are increasingly aware of their ESG record, which stands for environment, sustainability and governance.
“This could be a flagship for them. They will still be bringing out lots of other sportswear on a seasonal basis. But football kits do attract a greater degree of scrutiny and attention.
“The younger generation are more aware of these issues. This could be a reverse ferret from Nike with regards to that.
“Instead of trying to extract every single dollar from the Liverpool deal, they can use this as flagship.
“There will likely be some form of financial arrangement. It could be that the annual fee goes up because of the reduced volume of units sold.”
In other news, medical expert reveals “truth” behind five new Liverpool injuries after Andy Robertson update