Northern Ireland construction company McLaughlin and Harvey has been linked to a £50m contract to build Liverpool Football Club's new training complex.

Subject to all planning approvals, work on the Premier League giant's new facility is expected to begin in October in the Kirkby area of Merseyside, the current location of the club's training academy.

According to industry publication Construction News, Mallusk-based McLaughlin and Harvey has been awarded the contract for a range of facilities spread over a 34.6 hectare site.

The project will see Liverpool FC's entire first team and academy combined in one central complex.

It includes new first team pitches, a full-size covered pitch and the creation of an area for parents of academy players. It will also see the construction of a new two-storey, 91,500 sq ft training centre.

London-based KSS is the architect tasked with designing the scheme.

It is currently involved in a similar project with Premier League rivals Leicester City. KSS also worked on the new Main Stand at Liverpool's home ground Anfield and the new number one court at Wimbledon.

Reports that McLaughlin and Harvey won the contract follows an announcement by the firm last month that it had opened a new office in Liverpool city centre.

The work is expected to be completed by the spring of 2020.

Led by Philip Cheevers, McLaughlin and Harvey now employs around 450 people, with premises in Mallusk, Glasgow, London and Edinburgh.

The Liverpool deal follows confirmation earlier this year that the firm doubled its pre-tax profts to £11m in 2017.

https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/business/northern-ireland/northern-ireland-firm-in-50m-liverpool-fc-link-37124856.html