The club’s seven-year £450 million contract with the car manufacturer is set to expire in 2021.
Fears are growing Chevrolet is preparing to pull plug on record contract with Manchester United.
English newspaper The Times reports that Manchester United and Chevrolet‘s partnership is almost certainly set to end when the contract expires in 2021. In fact, Manchester United would be already searching for an alternative shirt sponsor to Chevrolet.
Insiders reportedly claim that the chances of Chevrolet extending its arrangement beyond 2021 are doomed because General Motors, the parent company, felt it had overpaid for the rights in 2012. Indeed the Chevrolet executive who brokered the £450 million deal left the company soon afterwards.
The deal with General Motors and Chevrolet began for the 2014-15 season and runs through to the end of the 2020-21 season. The deal is worth £450 million in total, or £65 million per season as fixed payment.
The reports understands that United’s commercial arm has been searching for some time for an alternative shirt sponsor to Chevrolet. Sources insist that a number of leading brands are interested in a shirt deal because of United’s enduring global appeal — they recently announced that their global fan base had risen to 1.1 billion people.
A United spokesperson told The Times: “Chevrolet is a fantastic partner. The sponsorship continues to achieve the brand and business objectives for both parties and we will continue to work to activate and maximize it.”
However, club insiders admit privately that its business is being rocked by the team’s recent travails. Last season, Manchester United failed to qualify for the Champions League, Europe’s most prestigious club competition where £2bn is shared between participating clubs.
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