Qatar Airways have made an offer worth €20 million to become Inter Milan’s main shirt sponsor starting next season.
This according to Italian news outlet FCInter1908, who report that the airline’s bid is on the table, although the Nerazzurri are waiting and considering their options as they aim for a higher-value deal.
The main shirt sponsorship at Inter has been in flux at Inter for the past few seasons.
This has been the case ever since the end of the club’s long-term partnership with tire manufacturer Pirelli.
That partnership came to an end in the summer of 2021. The initial replacement for Pirelli was blockchain-based “fan token” company Socios.com.
However, the partnership with Socios lasted for just one season.
The following campaign, which was last season, Inter agreed a partnership with cryptocurrency company DigitalBits.
But this partnership came to an abrupt end after the cryptocurrency company was unable to make the payments they owed due to Inter due to major financial issues.
This resulted in Inter playing several matches without a main shirt sponsor. Then, they agreed a short-term deal with US-based streaming service Paramount+.
That deal lasted for just two matches. One was the Champions League final against Manchester City last June.
Qatar Airways Make €20M Offer To Become New Inter Shirt Sponsor
Last summer, Inter agreed a new deal with Paramount+.
But that was just a one-year partnership, lasting for the duration of the current season.
In the meantime, Inter have been looking for solutions for next season, when the current agreement with Paramount comes to an end.
One possibility has been an extension of the partnership with Paramount.
However, this has never looked like a particularly likely option.
Rather, Inter have been looking into other possibilities.
One very concrete possible option would be airline Qatar Airways. The airline already has other commercial partnerships with Inter.
Moreover, Qatar Airways have been the main shirt sponsors of several European football clubs already.
And according to FCIN1908, there is already a formal offer to Inter from the airline.
However, the outlet reports, the €20 million that Qatar Airways have bid does not necessarily meet Inter’s expectations.
So the Nerazzurri are waiting to see if any higher offers arrive.
FCIN1908 report that Inter have been considering possible candidates from within the betting sector.
However, the recent controversial case of high-profile Italian footballers involved in illegal betting has made this more difficult.
Moreover, Inter know that if they wait too long to accept Qatar Airways’s bid, then the airline could become impatient and withdraw it.
