Liverpool lead the way in spreading Premier League gospel

(Reuters) - Liverpool will cover most miles of any Premier League club in pre-season preparation, closely followed by Manchester City, according to British media reports on Sunday. The days of gentle friendly matches close to home are long gone for England's biggest clubs, keen to exploit commercial possibilities in markets like Asia, Australasia and North America. Liverpool will play in Thailand, Australia, Malaysia and Finland between July 14 and Aug. 1. That means flying more than 24,000 miles, according to the Sun on Sunday newspaper, which estimates Manchester City's two matches in Melbourne will take them more than 21,000 miles. Champions Chelsea have again chosen the United States for a series of matches in July before returning home in time for the traditional Community Shield match at Wembley on Aug. 2 against FA Cup winners Arsenal. Manchester United also visit the United States, playing in Seattle, San Jose, Berkeley and Chicago. The biennial Barclays Asia Trophy starting on July 15 takes place in Singapore for the first time and features Arsenal, Everton and Stoke City, plus a Singapore XI. But West Ham United, under new manager Slaven Bilic, will be the Premier League team with the shortest summer break. They face a qualifying tie in the Europa League as early as July 2, the draw for which will be made on Monday. (Reporting by Steve Tongue; editing by Sudipto Ganguly)