LIVERPOOL FC was today expected to announce a massive shirt sponsorship deal with a London-based banking firm worth a reported £80m.

The contract is thought to be the biggest-ever deal with a sponsor, and will mark the end of the club’s long-running shirt deal with brewing giant Carlsberg.

It is understood that the deal with capital-based banking giant Standard Chartered was brokered following the end of an exclusivity clause with Carlsberg which forbade the club from entering into talks with any other potential endorsers.

The Carlsberg deal comes to an end in 2010, with Standard Chartered expected to have its logo emblazoned across Liverpool players’ chests for the next four years. Until recently, Manchester United’s £56m deal with AIG was the biggest sponsorship deal, having topped the £50m deal Chelsea FC struck with mobile phone manufacturer Samsung.

But the Liverpool deal with Standard Chartered will be of equal value to that recently signed between the Manchester club and American financial house Aon Corp in June.