Manchester United have agreed a club record multi-year sleeve sponsorship deal with London-based fintech company SumUp, worth more than £20m per year.
The agreement sees SumUp, a provider of mobile payment solutions, appear on the sleeves of matchday shirts worn by United’s men’s, women’s, and youth teams.
The financial terms represent an increase on the £20m-per-season previously paid by DXC Technology, whose deal expired at the end of last season.
The sleeve deal follows United’s separate club record £20m-a-year training kit sponsorship with Betway, underlining the club’s renewed commercial ambition.
The announcement comes ahead of Manchester United’s return to the Champions League this week, ending a two-year absence from Europe’s premier club competition.
United had been forced to begin the current season without a sleeve partner in place, a situation that resulted in the club breaching Premier League commercial rules.
Chief commercial officer Marc Armstrong welcomed the partnership, saying: “SumUp is a rapidly growing global business and we are delighted to welcome them to Manchester United as our official sleeve partner.”
Armstrong added that the deal “reflects the continued appeal of Manchester United as a platform for ambitious brands looking to connect with audiences around the world.”
SumUp, which was founded in 2012, has been considering an IPO at a valuation of between £8bn and £12bn, and this marks the company’s first sponsorship in elite sport.
SumUp’s UK CEO Luke Griffiths described the club as “one of the most iconic and followed clubs in the world, with a fanbase that continues to grow across generations and borders.”
Griffiths added: “Through this partnership, we want to connect with Manchester United fans in those moments, introducing more people to SumUp and creating experiences that make being a supporter even more rewarding.”
United’s sleeve deal is reported to be just below Arsenal’s arrangement with Deel, which is worth up to £25m per year, though both agreements are significantly smaller than Real Madrid’s world-leading £60m-per-season deal with HP.