Liverpool will pay out a major bonus to Jurgen Klopp‘s squad if they win the Premier League title this season, with the manager also set to be rewarded.
The Reds are just six wins away from winning the league for the first time since 1990, and for the first time since the current top flight’s inception in 1992.
If neither Liverpool or Man City drop points between now and then, Klopp’s side will secure the trophy at home to Crystal Palace on March 21, though that fixture could still be moved pending results in the FA Cup.
That would be the earliest any club has ever won the Premier League, breaking the record set by Man United in 2000/01, when they clinched the title on April 14.
Failing that, the Reds could win at the Etihad on April 4, while there are six other games after that visit to Manchester, including clashes with relegation candidates Brighton and Aston Villa.
Liverpool are overwhelming favourites to finish top, and it would take a monumental drop in form for any other eventuality to occur.
And along with performance-based incentives written into every player’s contract, the squad are set to share a pot of £4 million if they do win the Premier League.
That is according to the Mail, who report that this will be shared on a sliding scale depending on appearances made over the course of the campaign, with key players expected to earn £150,000 each.
They add that “Klopp is also in line for a significant bonus as the new four-and-a-half-year deal he signed in December included several performance incentives on top of his £15 million salary.”
Sixteen players have made 10 or more appearances in the league so far, with Gini Wijnaldum (2,031), Roberto Firmino (2,073), Andy Robertson (2,175), Trent Alexander-Arnold (2,190) and Virgil van Dijk (2,250) the top five on minutes played.
Liverpool should receive 40 winner’s medals if they do top the table come May, with these to be shared between Klopp, his staff and his squad, with every player to make five or more league appearances guaranteed one.
So far, 20 players have done so, and with 13 games left to play this number is likely to increase—particularly if the Reds seal the title early and Klopp shifts his focus to the Champions League.
Caoimhin Kelleher (seven), Neco Williams (six), Nat Phillips (two), Andy Lonergan (one) and Rhian Brewster (one) have all made at least one matchday squad but failed to feature.
Curtis Jones (two), Takumi Minamino (two) and Harvey Elliott (one) are the only others to make fewer than five outings, but this can be expected to change over the coming months.
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