The ranking reportedly follows the late-August arrival of Bradley Barcola for $163m, a deal that lifted Liverpool above City. The calculation adds the transfer fees paid to assemble each club’s current squad, making it a measure of investment rather than a direct assessment of performance or current market value.
Liverpool’s position highlights the scale of their spending compared with the rest of Europe. The report places Real Madrid at $1.18bn, while Barcelona are listed at $623m, a lower figure partly associated with academy products such as Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsí.
The reported top six is entirely made up of Premier League clubs, underlining the division’s financial advantage.
The report also says Premier League clubs spent a combined $4.7bn during the summer, compared with $1.5bn five years earlier. That spending boom has widened the financial gap, but it also raises expectations for immediate results.
Liverpool’s reported ranking will add scrutiny to every major signing. A squad assembled at that cost must deliver more than depth; it must compete for the biggest trophies and withstand the demands of a long season.
The next storyline is whether Liverpool can turn their reported record investment into silverware. The price of the squad is now clear. Its value will ultimately be judged on the pitch.