By Kieran Maguire

3rd Feb, 2023 | 2:46pm

Kieran Maguire: Liverpool ready to trigger option as details of £120m deal emerge

Liverpool and the rest of the Premier League will be ready to trigger the option to purchase equity in new partners Sorare if the deal proves to be a success.

That is the view of finance guru Kieran Maguire, speaking exclusively to Football Insider about the £30m-a-year agreement with the NFT-based trading-card-style platform.

Sources told this site in December that the top flight would shortly announce a deal with Sorare, and the alliance has now been formally confirmed.

As relayed by Sport Business on Tuesday (31 January), the four-year deal includes the option for the Premier League to purchase an unspecified chunk of equity in the company.

Liverpool were the only team in the Premier League to have an individual licensing arrangement with Sorare before the league-wide announcement.

And Maguire believes that they will vote to take up the equity option if the deal goes well.

“Many people see this as gambling,” he told Football Insider‘s Adam Williams.

“It is propped up by hope rather than anything concrete in terms of what you are buying. But it does make sense from the Premier League’s point of view to have an option for an equity element of the rewards.

“This is effectively upside only because if the value of Sorare does go up, they will exercise their option. If it doesn’t go up, you stick with the cash alternative.

“It’s the logical thing to do regardless of the questionable nature of the scheme.

“It does seem strange, however, because you can buy your cards with cryptocurrency and you effectively only get a digital receipt. It isn’t backed up by anything concrete.“

In other news, Gabby Agbonlahor swipes at two Liverpool big names after Ibrahima Konate reveal.