Manchester United plotting world-record deal as 'charm offensive' revealed

Manchester United are plotting a world-record sponsorship deal, according to a fresh report.

An accusation directed at United during Ed Woodward’s ten years as chief executive was that the club were more interested in striking major brand deals than achieving on-field success.

However, on the pitch, the club have achieved a mini-revival under the management of Erik ten Hag.

They are on track to qualify for the Champions League and on the cusp of making the Carabao Cup final, having dispatched Nottingham Forest in the first leg of the competition’s semi-final earlier this week.

As United bid to win their first silverware since 2017, they also continue to pursue deals off the pitch as well, led by newly appointed chief executive Richard Arnold.

Davos charm offensive

According to ESPN, United sent a delegation of senior officials to the Davos World Economics Forum last week, in an attempt to search for a world-record shirt sponsorship deal.

CEO Arnold was accompanied by Victoria Timpson, United's CEO of Alliances and Partnerships, and Ellie Norman, the chief communications officer.

As part of a “charm offensive”, United reportedly rented a storefront in town with a luxury lounge to project the club’s image and brand to prospective partners.

United’s world-record sponsorship deal

In December the Old Trafford club announced their existing shirt sponsorship deal with TeamViewer, a German IT company, would be terminated less than two years into a five-year agreement, worth £46.8million a year.

While the decision had been described as “mutual”, TeamViewer shareholders allegedly wrote to the company a month before terminating the deal, describing the partnership as “appalling judgement”.

United suffered a huge annual drop from their past £51million-a-year shirt deal with Chevrolet when they signed with TeamViewer in March 2021.

However, ESPN claims the cancellation of their current deal has allowed the Premier League giants to strike a world-record shirt sponsorship deal.

With United now on an upward trajectory under Ten Hag sources have told the publication that the club’s hierarchy is confident of finding a sponsorship prepared to pay a world record figure to have its name on the shirt.

Manchester City’s shirt deal with Etihad Airways is said to be the biggest in the Premier League, worth an annual £63million, with Real Madrid's £62million-a-year partnership with Emirates the largest beyond the Premier League.