Jose Mourinho Move to Manchester United Delayed by Sponsorships
It's cars, watches, even casinos in the endorsement-deal clash, but it shouldn't prevent the Portuguese from taking over United.
OMNISPORT
Manchester United and Jose Mourinho are crossing the T's and dotting the I's on his impending appointment as manager.
Or rather, according to The Telegraph, they're crossing out Jaguar and doting on Bulova because the former Chelsea manager's personal endorsements clash with some of United's sponsorship deals.
Some of the details that have lawyers on both sides locked in negotiations: United has a seven-year shirt sponsorship deal with Chevrolet, while Mourinho personally has a deal with Jaguar. United is tied to Bulova, while Mourinho endorses Swiss watchmaker Hublot. United? One South Korean casino operator versus a wholly different one endorsed by Mourinho.
You get the picture. At least they agree on one thing: Both have endorsement deals with adidas.
According to The Telegraph, it appears the clashing endorsements won't prevent Mourinho from taking over — at a healthy premium compared to what United paid sacked manager Louis van Gaal. Mourinho has agreed to terms on a three-year deal worth up to around 12 million pounds ($17.6 million) annually with bonuses. By comparison, Van Gaal's base deal, according to The Telegraph, paid him £3.3M with the potential of bonuses and loyalty payments taking it as high as £8M ($11.8M).
The Telegraph reported United had an agreement in principle with Mourinho before Van Gaal was fired, basically guaranteeing that Mourinho would be its choice if the ax fell on Van Gaal, which it did Monday.
The sides remain optimistic that Mourinho's appointment could be announced as soon as Thursday, but the matters to be resolved could push it to Friday.