Manchester United are in “advanced talks” with Qualcomm to become their next shirt sponsor, according to The Athletic.
The Red Devils already have a working partnership with the telecommunications firm, having begun an agreement to promote the Snapdragon brand at the start of last season.
However, the deal to become United’s main title sponsor will be much more lucrative, with the Manchester club hoping to agree a contract that would net them around £60m a year.
It would not be as much as one of their previous sponsorships with GM Motors and Chevrolet but it would be a substantial increase on their current agreement with TeamViewer.
The German software firm pay United around £47m per year but, last season, they announced that they are prepared to end their deal prematurely if a replacement can be found. It seems as though Qualcomm will be that company.
When could the contract with Qualcomm come into effect?
It’s unlikely that the title sponsor will change until the start of next season, mainly because so many replica shirts have already been sold with TeamViewer on the front.
From Qualcomm’s point of view, it wouldn’t make sense for them to start a partnership before their name is emblazoned on every new United kit.
How would United’s prospective new deal compare to others in the Premier League?
Manchester City currently have a £68m a year sponsorship with Etihad Airways so United’s rivals would still keep their position as the team with the most lucrative title sponsor.
Liverpool are second, having agreed a £50m a season contract with British merchant bank Standard Chartered. Chelsea’s potential agreement with Infinite Athlete is said to be worth around £40m, as is Arsenal’s deal with Emirates and Tottenham’s with AIA.
