Manchester City close in on eye-watering new Etihad Airways sponsorship agreement | OneFootball

Officials at Manchester City are seemingly heading towards a blockbuster new agreement with mainstay sponsors Etihad Airways, according to new reports.

It was reported back in 2011 that City would be set to bank up to £400 million under the new sponsorship arrangement with Etihad Airways, making it the largest deal of its kind in sport at the time of its signing.

The 10-year agreement, which also led to the renaming of their home arena to the Etihad Stadium, became more than twice the previous record at the time in JP Morgan Chase’s $300 million deal for the new Madison Square Garden.

The agreement with Etihad also saw a 10-year extension to the shirt sponsorship at City, in addition to what is now known as the Etihad Campus – which currently boasts a state-of-the-art training facility, Co-Op Arena, and a new fan entertainment space to be completed in 2026.

However, the ambitious plans of both Manchester City and Etihad Airways seemingly work hand-in-hand, and as such the two organisations are working towards a new blockbuster renewal of their agreement which is also shown through the finances of the new deal.

That is according to the information of Manchester City insider ‘Tolmie’s Hairdoo’ on X, who claims that the Premier League champions’ next sponsorship agreement with Etihad Airways will be worth over £900 million.

Such reports coincide with recent comments from Etihad Aviation Group’s chief executive, who firmly denied any suggestion that the organisation may have paid too much for its sponsorship of Manchester City in order to help the Premier League champions.

Antonoaldo Neves told Sky News’ Business Live in early October 2024, “Etihad doesn’t do any transactions with any partner that is not on the market basis.

“We have an amazing governance in Etihad. The mandate we have from our shareholders is very clear: deliver extraordinary customer experience and at the same time deliver an airline that is financially viable.”

Neves continued, “If we don’t engage in transactions at the market level, the returns don’t come; so absolutely, yes, it’s market-based. It’s a lot of negotiations that go on. And we get great returns from all these sponsorship contracts we have.”

The developments surrounding City’s leading sponsorship arrangement also comes as the Club succeeded with its claim that the Premier League’s Associated Party Transaction rules were unlawful, with decisions on two specific sponsorship transactions set aside.