Sunderland close to sealing late £9m deal: 'I expect it to get done'

Sunderland may have to settle for a pro-rata agreement in order to get a deal with a new front-of-shirt sponsor over the line.

That is according to former Everton chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, who believes that the Black Cats will overcome their "struggles" and get a deal in place.

Regis Le Bris' side are still without a sponsor for their new shirts, and are the only club in the Premier League who do not have a deal in place at present.

However, despite the season already being underway, Wyness believes that the Wearsiders still stand to earn around £9million from a late agreement.

The Scottish businessman feels that they must hold their valuation from earlier in the summer, as they are an attractive proposition with Europa League football in their hands.

Sunderland seemingly had a deal in place with Visit Ghana, but that ultimately fell through after a lack of government approval in Ghana.

Sunderland must not drop price for sponsorship

Everton’s former chief Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – believes that Sunderland should not allow themselves to be forced into lowering their valuation as a result of their struggles to find a partner.

Instead, he suggested that the first year of any agreement could potentially be paid on a pro-rata basis, to ensure the value of the opportunity is preserved long-term.

Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider's Inside Track podcast, Wyness explained why he still expects the Black Cats to get a deal done, despite the delay.

"They've got to hold tight. I had Sunderland somewhere between £8m and £12m; that would have been where I thought it was going to go," he said.

"I would expect it still. They've got to hold their price at that level. Certainly, they deserve that. As you say, with the European side as well, there's definitely potential for that to happen. 

"What may happen is that they have to go pro rata. The valuation won't be reduced, but it will just be 75 per cent of what the £12m would be. So that's the way that they've got to try and work this and preserve the value; even though they take a pro rata amount of it, it does preserve the value. 

"They've obviously been struggling. There was a big competition, as we discussed many times, about the number of clubs in the marketplace at the moment due to betting sponsors going."

Sunderland face up to 'massive loss of revenue'

Former Manchester City financial advisor Stefan Borson told Football Insider at the start of August that Sunderland are facing a "massive loss of revenue" if they cannot get a shirt sponsorship agreed.

The football finance expert explained how deals like this are "completely critical" to a Premier League's finances across a full season.

Borson remains adamant that Sunderland could still secure around £10m from a deal, even if they secured a "bottom end" sponsorship.

Le Bris' men recently won their first game in a European competition since 1973, but they are seemingly not an attractive proposition for sponsors.