Manchester City in talks over lucrative Etihad Airways extension – report

English Premier League champion Manchester City is in line to secure a lucrative extension to its long-term sponsorship deal with Abu Dhabi airline Etihad Airways worth an additional £320m (€407m/$522m), according to UK newspaper the Mirror.

City is three years into a wide-ranging 10-year partnership worth £400m with Etihad, under which the company is its shirt and stadium sponsor and also holds the naming rights to the club’s new campus that including an extensive training complex.

The two parties are said to be in talks over a five-year extension to the current contract, with an improvement in terms set to see City secure £50m-a-season from the deal.

Additionally, City is said to be targeting an £80m sponsorship boost in relation to its new training base at the Etihad Campus, where it is due to take up residence by the end of this month.

Manchester City Council has approved branding plans for three partners to benefit from extensive rights around the complex, including naming rights for the club’s 7,000-capacity reserve and youth team stadium, the first-team training ground and a bridge linking the Etihad Campus to the adjacent Etihad Stadium site.

Each sponsor is expected to pay in the region of £25m for the duration of five-year deals.

Manchester City is currently second in the Premier League following its 2-0 weekend win at Aston Villa, five points behind leader Chelsea.