Real Madrid demand Premier League's Big Six share €80m European Super League setup costs

Real Madrid are demanding that England’s six breakaway clubs contribute to the European Super League’s setup costs, with the total bill potentially reaching €80 million (£67.3m), according to a report from The Athletic.

Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham were among the 12 founding clubs that signed a shareholders’ agreement for the Spain-based European Super League Company in April 2021, before withdrawing within days under intense public and governmental pressure. Real Madrid chiefs believe those six clubs remain liable for a portion of the project’s initial expenses.

Of the original 12 signatories, Real are now the only club still committed to the venture. Atlético Madrid, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus and Barcelona have all since withdrawn, with Barcelona formally pulling out in February of this year — four months after Real president Florentino Pérez insisted the project would still come to fruition.

At the time of the initial collapse, Pérez made clear he viewed the founding clubs’ departure as a breach of contract. “I’m not going to take my time to explain what a binding contract is here,” he said. “But the fact is, the clubs can’t leave.”

More recently, Pérez has struck a defiant tone regarding Real’s legal position. “We have had our right to create our own competitions recognised,” he stated. “We can also claim multimillion euro damages for UEFA’s conduct. We have two rights: to be compensated for our losses, and to arrange a competition in the future, and we will tirelessly pursue both.”

The demand emerges as Real close in on appointing Bernd Reichart as their new head of business operations. Reichart, a German businessman, previously served as CEO of A22, the Madrid-based management company that oversaw the ESL project.

The competition itself has undergone significant structural changes since its original conception as a closed-shop elite league. In December 2023, A22 announced a revised format featuring 64 clubs across three divisions with promotion and relegation. A further overhaul followed a year later, expanding the proposal to 96 teams across four divisions under the rebranded name ‘Unify League’ — though the project has yet to get off the ground.