(Image: 2025 CameraSport)
Liverpool have started to flex their muscles with a promising start to the summer transfer window after being named the sixth largest enterprise amongst European clubs. So far, a total of £31m has been spent on the recruitment of Jeremie Frimpong and Armin Pecsi, not counting the £30m used last year to sign Giorgi Mamardashvili in advance of next season, and there is still an incredible amount on the line to land the club's next two targets.
Negotiations continue for Florian Wirtz in what would most likely end up a British-record deal, plus the same can be said for £45m-rated Bournemouth full-back Milos Kerkez, after Tuesday's deadline for early-June transfers halted the chance to register players until next Monday at the soonest. It is business the Premier League champions evidently feel is required to build on not only the success of the 2024/25 campaign, but over the course of the past decade.
Because of solid business management, Liverpool have a strong footing in regards to the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Rules, allowing them to conduct business in the present day. And the latest edition of the Football Benchmark report shows that over a longer period of time, it has helped them progress into a global superpower within their sport.
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The Budapest-based report has recently published its 10th annual Football Valuation Report, which ranks European clubs based on their enterprise value (EV), which is essentially the total value of a club’s equity plus its net debt.
In the Reds' case, they sit sixth on the list amongst European clubs with an enterprise value (EV) of £3.5bn, though they have actually dropped a place in the table. Their latest annual growth of 0.4 per cent is the lowest in terms of growth within the top 10, says Reach PLC's business of football writer Dave Powell.
"But Liverpool’s results were very much a focus on a point in time, one that doesn’t really paint an accurate picture of the reality in which they currently live in," he explains, delving further into the figures.
"The period in question takes into account a season where the club were outside of UEFA Champions League football and in the Europa League. From a business perspective the difference between the two is stark and extremely impactful when it comes to the bottom line.
"Whereas the likes of Arsenal saw the largest growth (29 per cent) among the top 10 because of their continued Champions League involvement, Liverpool saw the other side of the coin. However, it is instructive to look back at the longer-term trajectory of Liverpool when it comes to enterprise value.
"The club has seen a 231 per cent increase in EV since 2016, and following the thread of competitive success arriving on a regular basis, that high percentage, the highest among Premier League clubs, shows the real trend at the club, a trend that is likely to continue to climb.
"Liverpool are Premier League champions and very much back in the Champions League picture again. That looks set to continue for the longer term against the backdrop of the continued struggle of other members of the so-called ‘big six’, such as Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur.
"Revenue will increase in the next set of accounts, buoyed by increased payments from the Premier League thanks to success and a return of Champions League football in the financial year. Commercial revenue and matchday revenue will also see a rise. All of this will aid the club’s EV and will potentially see them climb above Barcelona in fourth and significantly close the gap on Manchester United (Third, EV = £4.2bn).
"Liverpool still have a significant amount of road to travel when it comes to their EV and are well positioned to see that growth arrive in the coming seasons."
The surefire way of maintaining off-field success is to drive forwards, where possible, on-field. Early-summer intent in the transfer market quite clearly shows this club wants to maintain their push for Premier League dominance and stay within Europe's elite.
Although questions have been raised over its scheduling, there is also the new FIFA Club World Cup to qualify for, with the second edition taking place in 2029.
The winners of the Champions League make the cut and have a shot at the £97m prize pot.