LIVERPOOL REVIVE ALLIANCE WITH ADIDAS IN £60M-A-YEAR KIT DEAL AS £200M WINDFALL CLAIM IS MADE

Arne Slot could be boosted by the money on offer from Adidas.

Liverpool have announced that they have signed a deal to reunite with Adidas in an agreement worth £60m per year to the Premier League club.

Following a spell with Nike, the Reds have returned to the German kit manufacturer after last using Adidas in 2012.

Some of most iconic shirts in Liverpool history have been made by Adidas and fans will be pleased with the news that the Reds have revived their alliance.

It’s understood that Liverpool could earn even more money if they perform well on the pitch as the deal with Adidas is incentivised.

Liverpool CEO Billy Hogan said: “Everyone at the club is incredibly excited to welcome adidas back into the LFC family.

“We have enjoyed fantastic success together in the past and created some of the most iconic Liverpool kits of all time.

“Adidas and Liverpool share an ambition of success and we couldn’t be more excited to partner together again as we look forward to creating more incredible kits to help drive on pitch performance.

“We’d like to thank Nike for their support over the last five years and wish them well for the future.”

On top of extra funds from their new deal with Adidas, former Man City financial adviser Stefan Borson insists Liverpool could get a £200m Premier League prize money windfall this season.

“It’s a non-Champions League season, so you have to look at it in that context. That means that the bottom line is not amazing. But actually, the way to look at Liverpool is to think about this season in some ways.

“If you can take that base level that they’ve got from last season and then add on top of it what they’re going to get this season, they’re going to win the Premier League, so they’re going to be number one there.

“They are going to have the best part of £200million in Premier League money. That’s going to be maybe £15-20million more than last season.

“They are going to get close to the maximum amount from the Champions League because they’re likely going to be really close this season. They could be maybe semi-finalists or finalists.

“They are going to have the best part of £100million extra in Uefa revenue this season, so you can imagine what that’s going to do. The cost base will be broadly the same.

“There will be a little bit extra on operating costs and wages probably, but they haven’t spent very much. There isn’t going to be a huge spike in player amortisation.

“There isn’t going to be a huge spike in the wage bill except for the bonuses, so it’s going to be a super profitable year this season.

“You will see the quality of the 2023-24 accounts in 2024-25 because that is the base on which everything is built for this season.

“You are going to see some pretty spectacular numbers for 2024-25 profitability wise for Liverpool, assuming it all goes to plan from here.”

- Joe Williams

LIVERPOOL CONSIDER SLOT AS KLOPP'S REPLACEMENT

 Liverpool have identified Feyenoord coach Arne Slot as a leading candidate to succeed Jurgen Klopp as manager after cooling their interest in Sporting CP coach Ruben Amorim, sources have told ESPN.

With top target Xabi Alonso last month ruling himself out of the running for a return to the club he represented as a player by choosing to stay with newly crowned Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen, Slot has emerged ahead of Amorim and Brighton's Roberto De Zerbi in the race to replace Klopp.

However, sources have said that Liverpool expect a battle with Barcelona and Bayern Munich to appoint Slot and are therefore planning to continue to assess other candidates.

Klopp, who has won the Champions League and Premier League with Liverpool since replacing Brendan Rodgers at Anfield in October 2015, announced in January that he will step down from his position at the end of this season.

Following Klopp's surprise announcement -- the 56-year-old informed Liverpool's owners, Fenway Sports Group (FSG) of his decision last November -- Liverpool CEO Billy Hogan said that the club would take a "data-led" approach to finding a new manager.

Former sporting director Michael Edwards returned to Anfield last month as head of football operations with the responsibility of identifying and hiring Klopp's successor, and sources have told ESPN that Slot, who guided Feyenoord to the Dutch title last season, has become a strong contender to land the Liverpool job.

Slot, 45, rejected Premier League advances from both Chelsea and Tottenham last season in order to remain at Feyenoord. He signed a new three-year contract with the Rotterdam-based team in May 2023, thereby committing himself to the club until 2026.

Sources have told ESPN that the Liverpool hierarchy, led by Edwards and Hogan, believes that Slot fits all of its criteria in terms of style of play, personality and ability to work within the club's structure.

There is an acceptance within Anfield that Feyenoord will attempt to hold onto Slot, but there is also a hope that the lure of the Premier League could prompt the former AZ Alkmaar coach to take the opportunity to move to England.

Liverpool are second in the Premier League, level on points with leaders Arsenal, and face a derby clash against Merseyside rivals Everton at Goodison Park on Wednesday.

- Mark Ogden, Senior Writer, ESPN FC