That would make the deal the most lucrative in the Premier League and among the world&aposs best, even though the alleged breaches of Premier League financial rules that the club have always denied hang in the background.
Just across the city at Old Trafford, Manchester United are a genuine commercial juggernaut, although the club&aposs current shirt sponsorship deal with TeamViewer which was agreed during the pandemic is worth just 47m per year. Arsenal and Liverpool, who have contracts with Emirates and Standard Chartered Bank, are both believed to have deals valued at around 50m for shirt sponsorship, but they won&apost be earning more than United for much longer.
Although TeamViewer signed a contract until 2026, some investors in the company described that as &aposappalling judgement&apos and it was agreed in December that it would come to a mutual end when a new sponsor could be found.
The sponsor to succeed TeamViewer was announced on Wednesday when it was confirmed that California-based company Qualcomm Technologies will have their brand Snapdragon on the front of shirts from next season. United will wear the Snapdragon logo on their home, away and third shirts from the start of 2024/2025 campaign and the deal has been struck up to cover the men&aposs and women&aposs teams, and training kit for both sides.
The Snapdragon logo is arguably similar to the Vodafone sponsor on red shirts from the early 2000s, but more importantly, the company&aposs deal is said to be worth just over 60m, which is a significant increase.
Qualcomm Snapdragon create processors that power premium tech products from the world&aposs biggest brands and their deal means United will have the second most lucrative shirt sponsorship deal in the league going forward.
A statement from the club read: “Manchester United PLC has agreed to an expanded strategic collaboration with Qualcomm Technologies, Inc, that will see the Snapdragon brand displayed on the club&aposs famous shirts.”
Before TeamViewer began sponsoring the shirts two years ago, United had a 64m deal with car manufacturer Chevrolet that began in 2014 after years of success and the Snapdragon deal is close to the value of that package.
It&aposs important that inflation is taken into account, but the Snapdragon deal is still a reminder that Manchester United remain a commercial giant, despite the lack of consistency on the pitch over the last few years.
The length of the deal is yet to be confirmed and that&aposs an important aspect considering the Glazers put the club up for sale in November and there have been multiple bids from Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al Thani and Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
It&aposs been suggested a short-term deal would make an exit for the Glazers more likely and that a long-term deal would be an indication of the desire to remain, but that might be a simplistic assessment of the situation.
The transfer window will soon close and although United got their hands on three players well in advance of the September 1 deadline, with Rasmus Hojlund joining Mason Mount and Andre Onana at Old Trafford, activity has stalled since Hojlund&aposs announcement.
A goalkeeper, a midfielder and a striker were Erik ten Hag&aposs priorities heading into the summer window, but injuries early on in the season mean United are in need of further reinforcements.
Our team of experts will be on top of all the goings-on at Old Trafford for the remainder of the window and beyond, and you can get the latest updates and inside information to your phone by joining our new free WhatsApp community below.
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The club were told in December of TeamViewer&aposs intention to get out of the contract earlier than agreed and it was within United&aposs best interest to find a new sponsor, willing to pay an increased sum, as soon as possible.
The 47m per year from TeamViewer was deemed too much commitment from the company and too little from the club. It appears Snapdragon are more suitable shirt sponsors and they will provide more cash flow into United.
