Keith Wyness reveals verdict on Amazon agreeing '£100m' Liverpool shirt sponsor deal
The chances of Amazon becoming Liverpool's next front-of-shirt sponsor are extremely slim at the moment.
That is according to former Everton chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, who believes that the Reds are "under pressure" to secure their next sponsorship deal.
Their long-term partnership with Standard Chartered is set to expire at the end of the season, and they currently do not have a deal in place to step into their shoes.
Amazon have been tipped to potentially take up the mantle after a Jeff Bezos-backed consortium invested in the club, but Wyness does not believe that sponsoring Liverpool would align with their goals as a brand.
He also outlined that it would have to fall in line with the Premier League's rulings surrounding related party transactions.
The Scottish businessman suggested that the Reds are "under pressure" to get a deal agreed in the coming months, but he expects them to look elsewhere.
Keith Wyness explains Liverpool sponsorship crisis
Everton’s former chief Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – believes that Amazon want to continue to run their brand "autonomously," and that will steer them away from any partnership with Liverpool.
He believes that Liverpool should instead be looking towards potential partners from the Asian and American markets, where he feels that the club carry a significant influence.
Speaking on Football Insider's Inside Track podcast, Wyness explained the issues that Liverpool would likely face if they tried to link up with Amazon.
"It's a natural knee-jerk reaction to think of Amazon as a front-of-shirt sponsor, but don't forget we've got the famous things we discussed around Man City, APT, associated party transactions," he said.
"So don't expect somebody to come in and start paying, you know, £100million for the front of the shirt all of a sudden because that's not allowed under the rules.
"Amazon are a very successful, sensible business. They're not there to support businesses they're taking shares in. They want them to run autonomously and by themselves, and I don't think that Amazon would be keen.
"Liverpool's commercial teams will be under pressure to find a replacement for Standard Chartered. We all know the Liverpool brand is very big in Asia and big in the States as well. They could go to the market and find a better sponsor.
"I don't necessarily expect Amazon to take the shirt unless it fits their own business needs, and at present I don't think it will do."
Ismaila Sarr fuming after Liverpool move denied
Former Manchester United chief scout Mick Brown told Football Insider on Tuesday that Liverpool target Ismaila Sarr "doesn't want to be at Crystal Palace."
The wideman has been pushing to move to Anfield in recent weeks, but has been denied his move away from Selhurst Park with the deadline now passed.
Brown outlined that the Eagles are now left with an "unhappy player" for the first half of the season, until their next chance to sell him in January.
Sarr's anger looks set to leave the door open for Liverpool to move back in during the winter window, provided that his situation doesn't change between now and then.