Manchester United could consider a triple deal worth more than £100 million a year if new investors come in.
Football Insider claims that such parties will consider selling the rights to the Old Trafford and Carrington names along with sponsorship on the front of the shirt.
United are currently looking for a replacement for their current sponsor TeamViewer, who recently came under pressure for not being able to reap the benefits of their many sports sponsorship deals.
Their deal with the Red Devils worth 47 million pounds a year was unmanageable for a company of the size and profile of TeamViewer, which led to an agreement to terminate the deal as soon as new sponsors were found.
For United, this amount will be negligible because of the triple deal, and new investors may well take advantage of it.
Earlier in January, negotiations were held with Visit Saudi, the Saudi tourism board, about a sponsorship deal.
But with many interested suitors, mostly from competing Gulf countries, a deal is still a long way off.
The situation is, of course, complicated by the uncertainty surrounding the United ownership situation.
If, for example, Qatar Sports Investments acquired a stake in Manchester United, which was discussed as a possibility, it would be contrary to the business interests of Visit Saudi, given that both groups are supported by rival states.
Commercial expert and head of the London department of sports services JMW Solicitors Ben Pippi, in a conversation with Football Insider, spoke in detail about the value and possibility of a triple deal:
“In addition to the rights to the name, the deal with the titular person is the most valuable part of the sponsorship inventory.
“This is clearly very attractive for a potential new owner. We also know that the process of selling United may include certain infrastructure commitments — the reconstruction of the stadium and training base.
“So, we are considering not only the rights to the T-shirt here. It could also be the rights to the name of the training base and Old Trafford, which together could be worth about 100 million pounds.
“The goal to complete the sale in the first quarter of 2023 looks tough. But we can say that United will have a new owner and main sponsor ready for the 2023-24 season.
“The upper limit will depend on the duration of the transaction and other elements related to the ownership group. However, we can be sure that this will go beyond what TeamViewer paid.
“United has a history of signing recording contracts and the ability to tap into their global fan base. They continue to promote the fact that they have over 1 billion followers worldwide.
“If someone is spending billions on United, there is every chance that they may need both a T-shirt and the rights to the name.”
Such financial benefits for the club would certainly help with the infrastructural changes that Pippi mentioned, and these are the improvements that the club has been crying out for over the years under Glazer’s yoke.
However, the question of how the fans will react to the renaming of Old Trafford remains open.
