Liverpool target further summer transfer investment after announcing £39m profit

Liverpool have confirmed that they will look to reinvest in the transfer market again this summer after reporting a healthy profit for the last financial year on Thursday [1 March].

As revealed via their official website, the Reds, even without European football, turned a £21m ($28.8m) loss into a £39m post-tax profit between 2016-17, with overall revenue rising from £62m to a record £364m thanks in no small part to the first year of a three-year Premier League broadcast deal, 12 new commercial partnerships and the opening of an expanded Main Stand at Anfield that increased the capacity to 54,074.

Investment in six new players - Sadio Mane, Georginio Wijnaldum, Loris Karius, Joel Matip, Ragnar Klavan and Alex Manninger - and "capital infrastructure" meant that net bank debt rose from £22m to £67m, though that is said to be "sustainable given the overall growth of the club's financial performance".

Liverpool have continued to splash the cash and twice broken their transfer record since the end of last season, acquiring the likes of Mohamed Salah, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Andrew Robertson in the summer in addition to securing the future transfer of Naby Keita from RB Leipzig.

In January, they made Virgil van Dijk the most expensive defender in football history in a £75m deal with Southampton and also sold Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona for £142m [The Guardian]

Such an improved financial showing in the seven years under American owners Fenway Sports Group (FSG) - which will only be boosted further by continued commercial growth and this season's return to the Champions League - means the club are committed to spending to further improve Jurgen Klopp's squad again this summer.

"Performance on the pitch and the reinvestment in our squad is always a priority and following the club's record signing in January we will look to invest again in the summer," said chief operating officer Andy Hughes.

"Progress on and off the pitch is critical to the growth of this football club – we all want success and everything we're doing is geared toward fulfilling our football ambitions. We must also continue to manage our finances and cash flow effectively that we have worked so very hard to secure since FSG took charge of the club."

With Keita's arrival already assured, Liverpool are believed to be eager to sign a quality new goalkeeper during the next transfer window.

Sky Sports reported last week that AS Roma custodian Alisson was the top name from a list of five potential targets and that the club were attempting to beat any potential rivals by entering preliminary talks over a deal ahead of the summer.