Liverpool's failure to qualify for the Champions League next season could cost the club upwards of £25million, according to a leading football finance analyst.
Yesterday's 2-1 defeat to Manchester United left the Merseysiders four points behind fourth-placed Tottenham and having played a match more.
Manager Rafael Benitez remains confident his side will still qualify for the Champions League but Vinay Bedi, of investment management firm Brewin Dolphin, said it would prove costly if they did not.
"It is a difficult figure to pluck out of thin air but you would expect Liverpool to want to be making £20-£25million out of the Champions League every year," he told Press Association Sport.
"I think they would budget for around that magnitude - although getting to the final could double it.
"Fifteen million doesn't sound that much but it is essentially sheer bottom-line profit.
"It is very profitable revenue and that is really where the impact will come.
"There is also knock-on effect with merchandising, corporate hospitality, that sort of thing."
Liverpool's debt is currently £237million but part of the refinancing package agreed with Royal Bank of Scotland required £100million of outside investment be found to pay off a large chunk.
Just over a week ago New York-based private equity firm the Rhone Group made a £110million-plus bid for a 40% share of the club, with the intention of using that cash to reduce the debt.
A decision on whether that offer will be accepted is unlikely this week but Liverpool managing director Christian Purslow has an Easter deadline in mind to secure the investment so there could be movement in the not-too-distant future.
However, Bedi said any Champions League absence may also impact on future sponsorship and commercial deals, and claimed the off-field protests against American co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett would scare off some interested parties.
"Demonstrations and all that sort of thing which happens some companies are not particularly enamoured with," he added.
"When you get into that scenario you don't know how some companies are going to react.
"That could start to impact as well. It is one of those slippery slopes where you would want to see some serious stability brought back into place pretty quickly because of the long-term impact on sponsorship."
Manager Rafael Benitez remains confident his side will still qualify for the Champions League but Vinay Bedi, of investment management firm Brewin Dolphin, said it would prove costly if they did not.
"It is a difficult figure to pluck out of thin air but you would expect Liverpool to want to be making £20-£25million out of the Champions League every year," he told Press Association Sport.
"I think they would budget for around that magnitude - although getting to the final could double it.
"Fifteen million doesn't sound that much but it is essentially sheer bottom-line profit.
"It is very profitable revenue and that is really where the impact will come.
"There is also knock-on effect with merchandising, corporate hospitality, that sort of thing."
Liverpool's debt is currently £237million but part of the refinancing package agreed with Royal Bank of Scotland required £100million of outside investment be found to pay off a large chunk.
Just over a week ago New York-based private equity firm the Rhone Group made a £110million-plus bid for a 40% share of the club, with the intention of using that cash to reduce the debt.
A decision on whether that offer will be accepted is unlikely this week but Liverpool managing director Christian Purslow has an Easter deadline in mind to secure the investment so there could be movement in the not-too-distant future.
However, Bedi said any Champions League absence may also impact on future sponsorship and commercial deals, and claimed the off-field protests against American co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett would scare off some interested parties.
"Demonstrations and all that sort of thing which happens some companies are not particularly enamoured with," he added.
"When you get into that scenario you don't know how some companies are going to react.
"That could start to impact as well. It is one of those slippery slopes where you would want to see some serious stability brought back into place pretty quickly because of the long-term impact on sponsorship."
Copyright (c) Press Association
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