Manchester United Announce Record £20 Million Sleeve Sponsorship, Annual Sponsorship Revenue Exceeds £200 Million; Ratcliffe Plans More Young Signings in Winter Window

Manchester United officially announced on Tuesday that they have reached a multi-year shirt sleeve sponsorship agreement with UK fintech company SumUp. The club did not disclose the exact amount, but reports claim the sponsorship fee exceeds £20 million per season, setting a new club record.

Since the end of their four-year sleeve sponsorship agreement with DXC Technology this summer, Manchester United’s shirt sleeves had remained without a sponsor. In the opening round of the season, United were also warned by the Premier League for breaching league regulations. Under the rules, teams without sleeve advertisements must display the Premier League badge on both sleeves, but United left the left sleeve empty, violating the league requirement.

Manchester United’s three-year sponsorship contract with DXC stipulated a sponsorship fee of £20 million per season, and the new deal has broken that record by exceeding that amount.

This could also be the highest figure in the Premier League. United’s rivals Liverpool receive £12 million from Expedia, while Manchester City’s sleeve sponsorship deal with OKX is also worth £20 million per season. Arsenal’s base sponsorship fee from Deel is £18 million, but it can reach £25 million if all bonus clauses are activated.

In international football, Barcelona’s sleeve sponsorship with Midea is worth €12 million annually, while Real Madrid’s sponsorship deal with HP is reportedly extremely lucrative, reaching as high as €70 million.

The SumUp brand logo will make its Champions League debut on Thursday, when Manchester United host Azerbaijani champions Qarabag at Old Trafford as they return to the Champions League. The men’s team, women’s team and academy teams will wear shirts featuring the logo in all competitions.

In addition to appearing on home and away shirts, Manchester United also announced that they will work with SumUp to launch a co-branded payment card, with fans receiving special discounts and rewards when using the card at the club’s official stores and merchants across the UK.

Manchester United chief commercial officer Mark Armstrong said: “SumUp is a fast-growing global company, and we are delighted to welcome them as Manchester United’s official sleeve partner. This new agreement aligns with our commercial growth strategy and reflects United’s appeal in connecting major brands with fans around the world.”

After signing this agreement, Manchester United’s annual shirt-related sponsorship income has surpassed £100 million. This includes Qualcomm Snapdragon’s £60 million annual front-of-shirt sponsorship, SumUp’s £20 million sleeve sponsorship, and a further £20 million per year from the training kit front sponsor.

Manchester United’s main sponsor adidas has a shirt sponsorship contract with the club worth a total of £900 million over 10 years, with a base annual value of £90 million. The agreement began in 2025 and runs until June 2035. Including other sponsorship contracts, Manchester United earn more than £200 million annually from these sources.

Manchester United owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe is satisfied with the club’s commercial operations and has decided to continue recruitment in the winter window. However, his focus remains on young prospects. According to TEAMtalk, Ratcliffe is very interested in Leicester City’s 18-year-old English midfielder Louis Page and is confident of beating Arsenal to sign him in January next year.

Page came close to joining this summer, but the Red Devils and the Foxes failed to reach an agreement over the £15 million transfer valuation. Manchester United’s owner remains calm and has created what he considers a “smart” plan to persuade Leicester City to lower the price and release the player. Page has supported Manchester United since childhood, so Ratcliffe and his team believe they hold an advantage.