Liverpool’s willingness to head to the High Court in 2019 to bring an end to their relationship with former kit supplier New Balance was telling.
The Boston-based sports brand had a clause in its contract with the club that would allow them to take up the option of extending the deal with the Reds provided they could match the offers on the table from rival firms. That deal at the time was worth around £40m per year to Liverpool.
But Liverpool wanted Nike. The Reds knew that in order to scale their retail and merchandising operations they needed a partner that could operate at the levels required. Nike offered a reported £5m per year less than New Balance in terms of a guaranteed sum, but in the 20 per cent cut that the Reds would receive through the sales of official LFC/Nike merchandise globally, the potential value was seen to stretch well beyond the guaranteed sum, with some estimates putting it at potentially £70m plus per year.
