IF YOU THOUGHT the gap between the top Premier League teams and the rest of the league couldn’t get any wider, think again.

Liverpool managing director Ian Ayre has said the club should be able to organise their own television deals abroad.

He believes the current system, in which the TV rights are shared equally among the 20 Premier League teams, is unsustainable.

Ayre also says that Premier League clubs need to be able to secure TV deals independently, or risk being left behind by other European clubs.

He told the BBC:

“The other European clubs just don’t follow that model. They will create much greater revenue to go and buy the best players.”

Ayre added that it was “probably right and proper that the money in this country is shared the way that it is,” but believes Liverpool, Man United, Chelsea and Arsenal deserve an increased share of foreign TV profits, as they have more supporters overseas.

Meanwhile, Alex Ferguson believes the current system of sharing is fair, but claimed clubs did not receive enough revenue from overseas TV deals, saying: “We are being shown in 212 countries at the moment so whatever we are being paid, it is not enough.”

For more information, visit the BBC Sport website>

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