Fulham are expected to announce sponsorship deals with LG, the electronics giant, and, possibly, Nike this month.
LG, one of the world’s largest makers of flat-screen monitors, is based in Seoul and will pay about £2.5 million a year to sponsor the Barclays Premiership club’s shirts from next season. The three-year deal is believed to incorporate other forms of exposure for LG beyond Fulham’s deal with Pipex, the broadband provider that has paid about £1 million for each of the past two seasons.
LG, the official mobile phone supplier to Fulham and Arsenal, is keen to increase its exposure in Britain. It held talks with Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur about shirt deals last season, but is thought to have felt that the clubs were asking too much.
One attraction of Fulham for sponsors is that the club is owned by Mohamed Al Fayed, the chairman of Harrods, who can offer extensive floorspace in his store as part of the deal.
The South Korean company already has an electrical goods department at Harrods and Nike would be expected to replicate a smaller version of Niketown, its store in Oxford Street, should it agree to the deal. Nike wants to take over as kit manufacturer from Airness, despite the French company being in the first year of a three-year contract.
Fulham initially asked for £4 million a season for the shirt sponsorship, pointing out that Tottenham had signed a £34 million deal over four years with Mansion, the internet gambling business.
However, Tottenham’s deal is misleading because the club have included a significant amount of advertising in the stadium, training ground and on their website.
