On Friday, Liverpool FC received a huge financial boost when they learned that they will be able to drop current kit maker New Balance for Nike as reported by The Guardian.
#LFC free to sign kit deal with Nike after judges ruled in favour of club in court case with New Balance.
Club statement: "Liverpool FC is pleased with the Judge's decision to rule in favour of the Club following the legal dispute with our current kit supplier, New Balance.
— Ian Doyle (@IanDoyleSport) October 25, 2019
New Balance currently pays the European champions approximately £40 million annually, per the BBC, and in their contract, which expires May 2020, they are allowed to match any competing deal.
Nike offered the Premier League leaders a five-year, £30 million per year deal but included in that was a guaranteed 20 percent commission on all merchandise according to 90min. The Oregon-based company also promised to use athletes like LeBron James and Serena Williams to help market Liverpool.
Ultimately, the judge ruled that despite the lower annual figure, New Balance couldn’t match the marketing power of Nike and the number of stores they could offer Liverpool merchandise.
All this is to say that Liverpool is about to come into a whole lot of money. The £30 million per year is considerably lower than Paris Saint-Germain’s current deal with Nike—€80 million according to ESPN—but that 20 percent commission can’t be ignored. While PSG is great at marketing, so is the Premier League and Liverpool are perhaps the most marketable team in the world right now.
Liverpool fans, wasting no time to prove they’re the most obnoxious fanbase right up there with FC Barcelona supporters, started #Mbappé2020 as a way to let the Merseyside club know what their expectations are for next summer’s transfer window. Check out a few of the better tweets below:
#Mbappe2020 confirmed pic.twitter.com/G6lUuyXEdy
— Jim (@_JimQ) October 25, 2019
#Mbappe2020? pic.twitter.com/hAEGX33uiH
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) October 25, 2019
That little paper which had "#Mbappe2020" pic.twitter.com/BgniPoeTwc
— Adithya (@19_ADII) October 25, 2019
Haters will say it's PhotoShop#Mbappe2020 pic.twitter.com/FJNIdvcbfp
— Bin Shaheed 👑🇵🇸 (@YasserC_LFC) October 25, 2019
Its on 💪💪💪#Mbappe2020 pic.twitter.com/Msfu1oxtwq
— Jeff_Tymer 🇬🇭🏴 (@Jeff_Tymer_) October 25, 2019
Remember lads #Mbappe2020 https://t.co/Z8y9ytZyus
— Jack (@JackRichards97) October 24, 2019
It’s time #Mbappe2020 pic.twitter.com/LdzdxdIp4F
— #8 (@ZachLangford) October 25, 2019
The connection between Mbappé and Liverpool started last summer when he admitted to using the team when he played FIFA video game and their supporters haven’t given up on the pipe dream since.
Entérate que equipo eligió @KMbappe para jugar @EASPORTSFIFA …
¡Te vas a sorprender con su respuesta!#PSG #RealMadrid #Mbappe #Barcelona #Tottenham #Liverpool@herculezg @mauriciopedroza pic.twitter.com/0Nrb4Ndd0A
— Ahora o Nunca ESPN (@ahoraonuncaespn) June 19, 2019
The 20-year-old Frenchman is under contract with PSG until 2022 and has been linked with several teams next summer, including Barcelona (Diario AS) and Real Madrid (Daily Mail).
Mbappé is a once-in-a-generation talent and he’s from the Paris suburbs. I believe that he wants to win the UEFA Champions League in Paris before moving on and PSG has done a lot to prove they are serious about surrounding him with talent. Whether Mbappé stays for another season or not depends a lot on how this year’s Champions League tournament goes.
Want more PSG? Visit the PSG Talk Podcast Network page and subscribe to PSG Talking, The 1970, and 24th & Parc.
