LONDON (Reuters) - Manchester City have stolen a march on their rivals by becoming the first Premier League club to sign a "sleeve sponsorship" deal after a relaxing of rules surrounding logos. That deal guarantees top flight clubs around 80 million pounds per season, not including overseas TV rights. City chief executive Ferran Soriano said the deal was part of the club's forward-thinking approach. "At Manchester City, we are always striving to take an original approach to our commercial partnerships, creating great relationships and great content for our fans," he said in a statement. The Premier League ended a title-sponsor deal with Barclays last year -- freeing up a 100mm square patch of cloth that club commercial directors will be keen to sell to the highest bidder.

Source: The Star March 17, 2017 16:41 UTC