Liverpool and Manchester United are involved in talks over a new invitation-only European Premier League, according to reports.
It is claimed the new tournament already has the backing of FIFA, has £4.6BILLION in funding, and has been described as ‘the most important development in world club football for decades’.
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Liverpool and United’s attempts to reform the domestic game with ‘Project Big Picture’ were unanimously rejected in an emergency meeting last week.
But that has not stopped the English giants from pushing ahead in plans to create a lucrative European super league, which appear to have taken a big leap forward.
Sky News claim 12 of the top clubs from England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain are currently in negotiations over the formation of the new tournament, with a provisional start date of as soon as 2022.
And other top Premier League teams are also set to be invited, the reports claim, including Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham and Manchester City.
The reports have already led to a strong reaction, including from Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher, who did not seem too pleased with the bombshell plans…
It is claimed the new format is expected to comprise up to 18 teams and fixtures would be played during the regular European season.
As many as five Premier League teams could apparently take part, and it’s not clear which of the ‘top six’ would miss out.
The top-placed teams in the league would then play in a knockout format to conclude the tournament – similar to the play-off stage of the season in US sports – with prize money for the winners expected to be worth HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS of pounds every year.
It’s unclear what this means for the future of the Champions League, which is governed by UEFA and could be forced to close if its top competitors all leave for this new FIFA-backed competition.
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It’s assumed at this stage that Liverpool, United and the other top English sides would continue to play in the domestic Premier League as usual.
However, FA chairman Greg Clarke recently revealed that threats have been made to form a breakaway league, so it remains to be seen how these new European plans will effect the English game.
After ‘Project Big Picture’ was rejected, Clarke revealed he was actually involved in early talks, but walked away earlier this year when it became clear the proposals were nothing more than a power grab from England’s biggest clubs.
In a letter to the FA Council, Clarke claimed: “The principal aim of these discussions became the concentration of power and wealth in the hands of a few clubs, with a breakaway league mooted as a threat”.
Sky News claim a football industry figure has indicated that a formal announcement about the plans could be possible as soon as the end of this month.
However, it is also said a number of key details are yet to be finalised, such as the full list of clubs, and the whole scheme could fall apart.
Each of the founding 18 teams is expected to earn hundreds of millions of pounds just to participate.
Real Madrid and Manchester United have both been described as ‘principal architects’ and could be set to earn the largest figures to take part.
The likes of Barcelona and Atletico Madrid from LaLiga, Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain, Serie A holders Juventus and current Bundesliga and Champions League winners Bayern Munich are also said to have been approached.
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