Liverpool are set to miss out on at least £50m in prize money and participation fees because of their fifth place Premier League finish.
And while Jurgen Klopp’s squad is expected to see substantial investment this summer with the aim of competing against next season, the budget will be greatly affected by their failure to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
Their fate was confirmed by Manchester United, who beat Chelsea 4-1 on Thursday evening; with the result securing a top-four spot for Erik ten Hag’s side before Sunday’s final round of fixtures.
Liverpool earned an estimated £159.8m for last season’s second-place finish and that will fall by £6.6m for fifth spot with broadcasting earnings also set to take a hit.
But the real difference will come from UEFA payments. Klopp’s side were knocked out of Champions League at the round of 16 by Real Madrid but still banked a total of €67.7m (£58.9m).
All 32 group stage teams make €15.6m (£13.5m) as a base participation fee, with Liverpool’s ten-year coefficient payment this season worth an additional €27.3m (£23.7m). They made €2.8m (£2.4m) for each of their five group stage wins and a €9.6m (£8.3m) top up for making it into the knockout stages.
Those figures are in stark contrast to the sums available in the Europa League. United, for instance, made €15m (£13m) for reaching the quarter-finals of that competition only to be beaten by Sevilla after throwing away an advantage in the first leg.
A Europa League participation fee is only €3.6m (£3.1), with group stage wins earning €360,000 (£313,000) and progressing into the knockout stages worth an initial €500,000 (£435,000).
There could also be commercial consequences because many sponsors include performance related add-ons. United lost several million last summer because of clauses in their contracts with kit manufacturer adidas and front of shirt sponsor TeamViewer.
Roberto Firmino, James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita are all leaving the club this summer. The quartet’s salary combined has cost the club about £500,000-per-week.
Liverpool’s primary focus will be on strengthening their midfield but hopes of bringing in Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund have been all but extinguished, with the England star instead tipped for Real Madrid.
They have also been linked with Brighton star Alexis MacAllister, who was part of Argentina’s World Cup winning squad, but champions Manchester City are also interested.
Klopp's team close out their campaign with a trip to already relegated Southampton on Sunday afternoon. An impressive finish to the campaign, winning seven and drawing three of their past 10, has not been enough to close the gap following their early-season struggles.
