Real Madrid stadium naming rights up for grabs

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has confirmed that the club is in talks over a potential naming rights deal for the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.

A plan to redevelop the Bernabeu was approved by club members last year and architects have submitted four different plans which are currently being considered.

Perez told Spanish sports programme Punto Pelota: “We want to award the project later this month. There are four candidates for the improvements, and if they hurry up then we’ll see if by the summer we can start work on what will be something very emblematic for the 21st century Bernabeu.

“We are working on a sponsor. We are on with it. At best the stadium will have a name added to it if we can find one.”
Reports suggest Dubai-based Emirates Airlines are favourites to add the Bernabeu to their sponsorship portfolio, after taking over as Madrid’s chief sponsor in the summer.

The stadium was initially known as the Nuevo Estadio Chamartin, before being renamed after the club-president eight years later.

The club would be very reluctant to drop the current name , but it was suggested last year, although denied by the club at the time, that the existing stadium name could be incorporated into the new name. It was suggested last year that the stadium could be known as the ‘Fly Emirates Santiago Bernabeu’ in a deal worth over €50 million per year.

In football, sadly, everything has its price.