Manchester United are looking to sell two of the most valuable items in their commercial inventory: shirt sleeve sponsorship and naming rights for the new training base at Carrington.
United’s sleeve deal with DXC Technology – worth £20m annually – expires at the end of the season and the club are looking for a new-and-improved deal.
Carrington meanwhile has been without a sponsor since their old deal with Aon lapsed.
While that agreement encompassed front-of-shirt rights too, the naming rights component was worth £15m per year. Selling the naming rights for Old Trafford has been mooted too, though that looks a remote possibility at present.
What price, if any, would you accept to sell the naming rights for Old Trafford?
Heritage Vs. Revenue
Old Trafford aerial view
Photo by Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images
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On both fronts, Manchester United will be looking for an uplift, but their leverage with commercial partners has been hurt by years of underperformance on the pitch.
For Sir Jim Ratcliffe, that’s a real concern.
Costs have exceeded revenue at United for years now, with wages, transfers and hundreds of millions of administrative expenses weighing heavily, especially in seasons when the club fails to qualify for Europe and unlock what is potentially a nine-figure revenue stream.
The excess needs to be funded from somewhere and, since the part-takeover in 2024, that has been through a combination of Ineos’ own cash reserves and debt.
Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe arrives prior to the Premier League match between Manchester United and Manchester City at Old Trafford on January 17, 2026 in Manchester, United Kingdom
Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
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But with interest payments of £30-40m annually, a significant refinancing juncture imminent and Ratcliffe struggling with liquidity generally, there is a real need to increase sponsorship revenue.
‘Project 90’ is United’s codename for the initiative to strengthen the balance sheet by £90m, focusing on both cost-cutting and bolstering sponsorship revenue. And, according to various reports, it was high up on the agenda as Ratcliffe met with Joel and Avram Glazer last week.
With at least £35m in annual revenue – and perhaps significantly more – on the line in the hunt for a training ground naming rights and shirt sleeve partner, it’s no exaggeration to say that the discussions will have a real, material impact on Ratcliffe’s ability to finance United’s spending from next summer.
“This will be part of the discussion between Ratcliffe and the Glazers, no doubt,” says University of Liverpool football finance lecturer Kieran Maguire, speaking exclusively to United in Focus.
“There is a recognition from Ineos that they need to get things right on the pitch, which makes it that much easier for the marketing department to sell to a sponsor.
Co-Chairman of Manchester United Avram Glazer, Sir Jim Ratcliffe attend the UEFA Europa League Final 2025 between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United at San Mames Stadium on May 21, 2025 in Bilbao, Spain.
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“There is no doubt that Man United are still the biggest name in football. You only have to look at the number of articles written about them to see that. There have been many sponsorship partners who have benefited from that.
“The main part of the discussion will be recruitment errors – Ashworth, Ten Hag, Amorim and so on. They appear to be lacking a vision for the club and they have become very reactive, but that will focus on both behind the scenes aspects and the football itself.
“The Glazers will be saying: ‘Well Jim, we gave you the control contract to deliver on and off the pitch, so how are you assessing your own performance?’. He’s been there nearly two years now and they will be asking questions.
“Sponsors want value for money, which means being associated with success. At the moment, there is a lot of noise but no trophies. That’s not the most efficient way of doing things as a sponsor.”
United falling behind rivals financially
As forecasted by United in Focus, Man United have fallen to their lowest ever position in the Deloitte Football Money League, which ranks Europe’s clubs by revenue.
This season, with no European football of any description, turnover will likely fall again, even accounting for Ineos’ decision to raise ticket prices at Old Trafford and potentially take the team to Saudi Arabia for a lucrative mid-season exhibition.
The £666.5m they earned in 2024-25 was less than Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal.
Man United’s rivals are overtaking them in the financial stakes
What does Sir Jim need to do to fix this MESS?
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This season, there is a danger they could drop out of the top 10 entirely, with Tottenham and Chelsea hot on their tail thanks to their participation in the Champions League.
But it’s not just a lack of prize money that is the problem. Sponsorship revenue and matchday income is rising, yes, but much, much more slowly than nearly all of their peer group.
Adjusting for inflation, United’s commercial revenue – £333m at the last count – has actually shrunk since 2019. For context, Spurs have tripled theirs over the same period.
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