Why new £60m deal could KEEP Glazers at Man Utd and END Qatar takeover talks

Suraj Radia

11 Sept 2023 21:32 BST
4 min read

Joel Glazer, Man Utd protest — © ProShots

Manchester United are in advanced talks with a new shirt sponsor which could hint towards significant implications over the club’s protracted takeover saga.

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The Premier League side have been searching for a new front-of-shirt sponsor since reaching an agreement with current partners TeamViewer to end their deal early, which was worth £47 million per year.

According to The Athletic, United now look set to strike an agreement with US technology company Qualcomm which could be worth £60m a year – the second-most lucrative deal in world football behind Real Madrid and Emirates’ partnership.

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Any deal would be ‘highly unlikely’ to come into place this season, given the amount of replica shirts that have already been produced and sold with the TeamViewer logo, meaning a new sponsor should be in place for next season instead.

There is already an existing relationship between United and Qualcomm, with a deal having been struck last year for the club to promote the conglomerate’s subsidiary brand Snapdragon, which would also see improvements towards the mobile connectivity experience for fans at Old Trafford.

United announced last year that they would be allowed to buy back the rights to their shirt sponsorship from TeamViewer despite having signed a five-year agreement in 2021, although the company would remain a partner of the club on reduced terms.

How could this impact United’s takeover?

United have been dealing with speculation surrounding the ownership of the club since the Glazer family revealed last year they would be looking for external funding, which could include opportunities towards a complete sale of their stake.

However, despite an arduous process which was expected to be resolved by the end of last season, no bidders have met the Glazer’s £6 billion asking price and there appears to be no imminent movement towards any sale.

Bidders from Qatar as well as INEOS CEO Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who is Britain’s wealthiest man, are still thought to be frontrunners despite not being close in their valuations of United, although a new long-term deal with a shirt sponsor could indicate that the Glazers do not anticipate leaving any time soon.

Crucially, it would mean that United are contracted to a shirt sponsor which could limit the marketing potential for a Qatari bid and thus lowering any possibility of a sale to Sheikh Jassim, with the Gulf nation often preferring to partner with brands from their own country.

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While any implications of the deal are purely speculative – and a deal with Qualcomm still not finalised – a new shirt sponsor could provide lucrative opportunities in the short-term but also lead to the Glazers continuing their reign at the club, much to the chagrin of United supporters.