IT is, in some ways, a total no brainer.

Katharina Liebherr could be about to sever her family’s eight-year ownership of Southampton Football Club, by selling out to Chinese firm Lander Sports.

A figure of £190m has been mentioned - a huge increase on the £12m her father Markus splashed out to save Saints from potential oblivion in the summer of 2009.

Though Chinese ownership has brought strange managerial changes to several midlands clubs in recent months, there is no doubting Saints are in need of fresh investment if they are to avoid being left well adrift by the Premier League’s elite.

Not necessarily in terms of being competitive on the field of play, but certainly in terms of being competitive off it.

What follows are some figures which starkly illustrate the task facing those who run Saints.

This is what Southampton FC are up against - some of the most impressive money-making machines in world sport.

And, as we can easily see, the rich are only getting richer ...

Saints last week revealed their accounts for the year ending June 2016.

They showed a record turnover of £124.2m.

Most of that came via the Premier League’s recession-proof television deals, with £18.8m coming from matchday income and £12m from commercial income.

They might seem healthy figures, and indeed they are. But compared to the clubs Saints are up against in the races for silverware and European places, it is the proverbial drop in the ocean.

Compare Saints’ figures with these ..

MANCHESTER UNITED

In the 20th annual Deloittes report into football finance, published earlier this year, United were revealed as the richest club in the world.

While Saints’ turnover was £124.2m in 2015/16, United’s was £515m.

Of that, a staggering £272.1m was from commercial income - £260.1m more than Saints’ total in the same period.

MANCHESTER CITY

United’s cross-city rivals were fifth in the latest Deloittes rankings with a turnover of £392m. Their commercial income was over £170m.

Arsenal Seventh in the rankings with a turnover of £350.4m. A staggering £99.9m of that was via matchday income - the second highest in the world behind Manchester United’s £102.8m total. But United do have around 14,000 seats more at Old Trafford than the Gunners have at The Emirates.

CHELSEA

Eighth in the Deloittes list with a £344m turnover, including £122m of commercial income.

That is not enough, for the club are eager to build a new 60,000-capacity stadium at their historic Stamford Bridge home (current capacity 41,000). Plans were recently approved by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, who said the £500m redevelopment would produce “a jewel in London’s sporting crown” and attract visitors and fans from around the world. And they would all pump more cash into Chelsea’ bank account.

LIVERPOOL

Ninth in the Deloittes list with £302m, including commercial income of £119.5m. Those figures will only increase now the club have opened their new £100m stand, which boasts an extra 8,500 seats - taking the Anfield capacity to 54,000.

TOTTENHAM

12th in the Deloittes list with £209m. Their matchday income in 2015/16 was ‘only’ £40.8m - nowhere near half of Arsenal’s - hence the club’s move to a new stadium. From the start of 2018/19, Tottenham will be playing at a 61,000 capacity stadium - so watch their income soar as a result.

WEST HAM

18th in the Deloittes list with £143.8m. Though not as successful on the pitch as Saints in recent years, in 2015/16 the club’s matchday income (£26.9m) and commercial income (£30.2m) figures were both higher than Saints’. And, now the Hammers are attracting 50,000 plus crowds following their move to the London Stadium, just watch their revenues rise dramatically.

Leicester City

The surprise 2015/16 Premier League champions just sneaked into the Deloittes’ top 20, with a turnover of £128.7m. Though their matchday income was smaller than Saints’ - at just £11.5m - their commercial income was noticeably higher at £22.5m.

So there you have it. Eight of Saints’ top flight rivals enjoyed greater earning power in 2015/16.

Now bear in mind that only the top five in the Premier League are guaranteed a European place through their league position.

Finishing sixth and seventh - as Saints have done in the last two seasons - can gain you a Europa League place ... BUT only if teams who finish in the top five also win the FA Cup and League Cup.

In itself, that underlines the task facing Saints. Namely, how to try and keep up with those able to flex larger financial muscles?

Now bear this in mind - the above list does not include Everton.

But the Toffees are starting to re-establish themselves as a top seven force following Iranian-British businessman Farhad Moshiri’s takeover in February 2016 and the subsequent appointment of Ronald Koeman as manager.

Moshiri’s personal wealth is believed to be over £3bn, and he is serious about making Everton a big player on the Premier League stage. A new £300m 60,000 stadium is on the agenda and only yesterday the club took a significant step towards their goal of building it on the banks of the River Mersey after securing a deal to acquire land in the city.

Add the Toffees into the equation - and then add Newcastle, with their 50,000 home attendances, if they come back up to the top flight - and the maths become ever harder for Saints.

Given all those financial stats previously mentioned, how can Liebherr NOT sell to a company that is promising larger investment than she can either a) afford or b) willingly commit to?

Deep down, she probably knows the answer to that one.

Chief executive Gareth Rogers probably knows it too.

Only last week, he told the Echo that the club cannot just rely on the ever increasing broadcasting incomes. Handsome though those sums are, every club gets them - not just Saints.

Speaking about the broadcasting income, Rogers said: “We have to rely on that significantly but we don’t want that to be our sole source of income.

“We want to supplement that to become more competitive.

“Everybody has the broadcasting income and the difference between the top and the bottom is not that great in the spread in the Premier League.

“Therefore, your competitive advantage comes from being able to have greater commercial income.

“Look at the top six clubs and their competitive advantage comes from massive commercial income, not necessarily from broadcasting.”

The stats perfectly illustrate Rogers’ words.

And they also shine a light on why Saints should crave fresh investment if they are to keep pace in an increasingly tough environment.