New Man United owners could sign £100m-a-year+ triple deal before next season
Investors looking to take over Man United could potentially purchase the naming privileges for Old Trafford and Carrington alongside front-of-shirt rights in a package deal, Football Insider has learned.
United are actively searching for a new front-of-shirt partner after buying back their rights from TeamViewer, who have been troubled by the meek results of the £47million-a-year alliance.
The search officially began on 16 December last year, several weeks after the Glazer family announced their intentions to sell a significant stake in the club.
Football Insider revealed last Tuesday (3 January) that front-of-shirt talks with Visit Saudi, the state-financed tourist board of Saudi Arabia, took place ahead of the Glazers’ statement.
Groups from rival Gulf states are among those linked with a United takeover, which some commentators suggest could complicate front-of-shirt negotiations with a Saudi-backed company due to conflicting business interests.
The broader practicalities of liaising with new commercial partners while the future ownership of the club is up in the air have also been questioned.
United recently announced plans to upgrade both their Carrington training base and Old Trafford, with the latter potentially in line for a 15,000-seat capacity boost.
Ben Peppi, commercial expert and head of sports services in the London office of law firm JMW Solicitors, believes that the naming rights for both properties could be bought up by a new owner alongside front-of-shirt privileges.
The value of that deal, he forecasts, would far surpass the previous agreement with TeamViewer.
He told Football Insider: “Beyond naming rights, a front-of-shirt deal is the most valuable piece of the sponsorship inventory.
“That is clearly very attractive to a potential new owner. We also know that the United sale process might involve certain infrastructure commitments – redeveloping the stadium and the training ground.
“So, it’s not just front-of-shirt rights we’re looking at here. It could also be naming rights for the training ground and Old Trafford, which together might be worth around £100m.
“The target to conclude a sale in the first quarter of 2023 is looking tight. But it is not untoward to say that United will have a new owner and front-of-shirt sponsor ready for the 2023-24 season.
“The upper limit will depend on the length of the deal and other elements connected to the ownership group. We can, however, be certain that it will go beyond what TeamViewer paid.
“United have a history of signing record deals and the ability to leverage their global fanbase. They continue to promote the fact that they have over 1billion global followers.
“If someone is spending billions on United, there is every chance they might want both front-of shirt and naming rights.”
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