Liverpool set for ‘£800m’ bonanza that easily finances Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes pay rises

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Fenway Sports Group have left Liverpool in a fantastic position to tie down several key members both on and off the pitch to long-term deals.

John Henry sent shockwaves through football this summer as the Reds boss sanctioned a record-breaking £450 million outlay to bolster the title-winning squad.

Liverpool broke the British transfer record twice in the same window, with Alexander Isak’s £125m arrival from Newcastle United on deadline day following Florian Wirtz’s move to Anfield in a £116m deal with Bayer Leverkusen.

FSG have developed a reputation in recent years among Liverpool supporters for being tight on the purse strings, particularly during the summer of 2024 when Federico Chiesa was the sole signing for a cut-price £13m.

However, the surge in revenue allowed Liverpool to spend, and now TBR Football’s head of football finance, Adam Williams, has revealed how the club can afford plans to offer pay rises to several key figures.

Exclusive: Liverpool turnover will fund new contracts

While providing a detailed insight into how much revenue Liverpool stand to earn, Williams has explained how FSG’s self-sustainable model has left the club in a powerful position.

“While there has always been a narrative up until this summer that FSG are quite conservative operators in the transfer market, that has never been the case with the wage bill.

“In 2023-24 – which, remember, was a year they weren’t even in the Champions League – their payroll was £386m. In the Premier League, only Man City paid more. We won’t have the official accounts for 2024-25 until the spring, but the wage bill is easily going to surpass £400m for the first time. It could even surpass City’s.

“And with the calibre of the signings they have made, it’s going to rise again in 2025-26, even accounting for the many sales that they made too. I think we’re talking £450m, depending on how their season pans out in terms of bonuses and whatnot. And unlike the £450m worth of signings that they made over the summer, that is a cost they have to bear each and every year.

“That said, as wages are rising, so too is revenue. With a good run in the Champions League and a few home draws in the cup competitions, they’re going to be at £750m-plus in turnover, potentially pushing £800m.

“FSG always reinvests the revenue that Liverpool earns. So they are going to have room to increase the wage bill even further, if that’s what they want to do. If they’re looking at new deals for Slot, Hughes, Edwards, Konate, and so on, there’s no reason that they can’t get those done, even with significant pay rises. There would be signing-on bonuses too.”

Liverpool will face competition from Everton in the near future for non-football revenue streams following their move to the Hill Dickinson Stadium, but as things stand the Reds are in a very strong position.

TBR Football confirmed FSG are in talks with Michael Edwards over a new contract with his current deal set to expire in 2027.

The CEO of football will then be tasked with leading discussions to extend Richard Hughes and Arne Slot’s deals with the Reds before Liverpool direct their attention to the first team squad.

Liverpool are planning contract talks with three first team stars

As revealed by TBR Football on Wednesday, midfield duo Curtis Jones and Ryan Gravenberch are priorities for new contracts, and the club are confident of resolving their futures in the coming weeks.

Vice-captain Andy Robertson’s deal will expire at the end of the season, but no updates on his future at Anfield are expected to arise until after the New Year.

Furthermore, Liverpool remain intent on retaining Ibrahima Konate despite emerging interest from Premier League rivals for his services – talks continued with the Frenchman’s entourage during the international break.

However, it seems the club are being cautious in negotiations with success this season being imperative to remaining financially viable following a significant increase in the wage bill after the summer transfer window.