Kieran Maguire: ‘Money is no object’ to Saudi investors amid new Man United talks reveal
“Money is no object” to a state-owned group like Visit Saudi and they could effectively use Man United as a billboard for their bid to host the 2030 World Cup.
That is the view of finance guru Kieran Maguire, speaking exclusively to Football Insider about a possible shirt sponsorship deal between the pair.
It was reported elsewhere that Visit Saudi were due to announce a partnership with the Red Devils, who have bought back their front-of-shirt rights from tech company TeamViewer, only for talks to collapse at the 11th hour.
But a source told Football Insider last Tuesday (3 January) that information is inaccurate and the talks were only preliminary in nature.
It is not known whether the Saudi tourist board are yet out of the running to sponsor United, but there is nothing concrete to suggest that is the case.
Maguire claims that Visit Saudi, which is run by the Gulf state’s government, could use a deal with a club of United’s stature to expand its brand ahead of a bid to host the World Cup in seven years.
“With the TeamViewer deal coming to an end, United will be looking for a partner,” he told Football Insider’s Adam Williams.
“Visit Saudi will have seen the success the Qataris have had with their relationship with Paris Saint-Germain. That has ultimately led them to host the World Cup.
“The Saudi authorities are interested in hosting the 2030 World Cup, so having a relationship with a club as senior as United would help extend the brand.
“You can see the benefits for them, and it would appear that money is no object, especially given the global price rise in oil and gas.
“Therefore, the state is in a strong position to put a very competitive offer to a team like United.
In other news, pundit tells Man United to pull plug on signing ‘big-time Charlie’ from giants.