Sources: Critical update on £300m talks as Liverpool ‘priming their attack dogs’
EFL chairman and former Liverpool CEO Rick Parry’s quest to squeeze more cash from the Premier League is “not going well,” sources have told Football Insider.
Parry, along with representatives from the FA, is currently engaged in landmark talks with the top flight regarding possible changes to the pyramid’s financial distribution system.
The Premier League currently surrenders around 16 per cent of its annual revenue to solidarity payments, but the EFL are demanding around 25 per cent, which would equate to an extra £300m per year.
Premier League chiefs want to make amendments to the FA Cup, League Cup and Community Shield in exchange, which would allow the likes of Liverpool to prioritise more lucrative matches elsewhere.
Parry himself claims the talks have been “positive“, although most analysts suggest that the 25 per cent figure remains unrealistic even with these concessions.
Meanwhile, the government is set to outline its plans for an independent regulator for English football by the end of the month, hastening the need for the two parties to come to an agreement on their own terms.
Finance expert Kieran Maguire told this site in December last year that Liverpool are “priming their attack dogs” to try and water down the powers of regulator.
It has been reported elsewhere that the Premier League could stretch to 19 per cent to stop a regulator from stepping in, but a source close to the talks has told Football Insider that there has been very little movement.
“It’s not going well,” the source told Football Insider.
“Everyone has their own agenda and there isn’t much give-and-take at the moment,”
“At the moment, they [the Premier League] give away around 16 per cent, but the majority of that is in parachute payments, which the EFL want eliminated.
“But the top half of the Championship and the bottom half of the Premier League want them maintained because they are likely to be beneficiaries of it.
“I can say with some confidence, however, that there are going to be certain concessions. The Premier League are prepared to give more money but they want to retain parachute payments“
An independent regulator could prevent clubs from joining breakaway competitions such as the European Super League, which Liverpool helped launch before their near-immediate withdrawal in April 2021.
Football Insider revealed earlier this month that the body will also have the power to monitor club finances in real time.
In other news, Liverpool have “concrete” interest in signing Ruben Neves and are biding time for late January swoop.