Liverpool FC is being linked with Qatari telecoms firm Ooredoo in a £20m sponsorship deal which would see the Middle Eastern firm supplant Standard Chartered Bank as holders of the football clubs shirt sponsorship rights.
There are 18 months remaining on Standard Chartered’s existing contract, signed in September 2009, although this could be extended given sufficiently improved terms.
An Ooredoo spokesperson told Aljazeera however that talks with the club are at an advanced stage and include a naming rights deal for the clubs historic Anfield ground. Saying: “The goal was to sponsor a big English club with a huge history. Our search included Arsenal & Manchester United but the former two have long sponsorship deals and the same applies to Manchester City so Liverpool is the only club available right now.
“We want to sponsor the club in full. We want to sponsor the stadium (possibly rename it) as well as the club's kits. Our goal is to reach the Asian markets where the Premier League has an enormous fan base.
“We received the tender from the club a few days ago and we are currently in the process of due diligence and we are studying each aspect of the study. It is a dual interest, Liverpool needs the money to compete with the European heavyweights and we want to expand our brand to reach new markets via football.”