Manchester United could earn up to £17m by selling the rights to Old Trafford - but the Etihad Stadium is worth more according to recent figures

The two Manchester clubs take up nearly half of the overall sponsorship money if each premier League club sold the naming rights to their stadium

A view of Old Trafford (GETTY IMAGES)

Manchester United would earn less than Manchester City if they chose to sell the naming rights of Old Trafford, a recent analysis has claimed.

The two Manchester clubs lead the way after global valuation experts American Appraisal released figures revealing what each Premier League club could earn having their individual stadiums rebranded.

Of course, City,  Arsenal, Newcastle United and Hull City have already sold their naming rights, with the 2011-12 Premier League champions earning nearly £18m per year for the sponsorship of the Etihad Stadium.

According to the analysis, United could earn as much as £17m per year should they choose to sell the naming rights to their famous Old Trafford stadium, falling just shy of the largest figure set by their fierce rivals.

That means of the £75m generated by all 20 clubs, £35m would be taken up by the two Manchester clubs, with Arsenal sitting in third with their current £6.75m per year deal for the Emirates Stadium. Liverpool, Tottenham and Chelsea then follow respectively, meaning that cumulated points over the last five seasons have been crucial in determining the income generated.

But despite winning the Premier League title back last season – their fifth in the last seven years – and obtaining one of the largest worldwide followings in sport, United are outdone by the blue half of Manchester.

Questions have arisen in the past about City’s deal with Etihad Airways, with some believing the figure to be inflated in an attempt to work around Uefa’s Financial Fair Play Regulations, which could arguably increase City’s spending power in the transfer market.

Mike Weaver, Managing Director at American Appraisal, said: “If this data shows one thing it’s that performance pays off. The top six clubs who regularly play in Europe and dominate the league account for approximately 80% of the value of the naming rights market.

“The real opportunity is for those clubs who have not yet made the leap of faith to re-name their stadiums. There is untapped revenue and when it comes to negotiating shirt sponsorship, stadium naming rights has to be a strong consideration too.

“The UK stadium naming rights market is still in its infancy versus shirt sponsorship. But at £75m annually it’s a great contributor to the bottom line of club P&Ls.”

So how much could your club earn by selling the naming rights to its stadium?

Premier League Club Annual Stadium Sponsorship Value:  

1. Manchester City - £18.23m

2. Manchester United -£16.93m

3. Arsenal - £6.75m

4. Liverpool - £6.06m

5. Tottenham - £5.76m

6. Chelsea - £5.45m

7. Everton - £2.98m  

8. Newcastle United - £2.00m

9. Aston Villa - £1.52m

10. Fulham - £1.52m  

11. Sunderland - £1.52m

12. Stoke City - £1.35m

13. West Ham United - £0.91m

14. Swansea City - £0.67m

15. West Bromwich Albion - £0.61m

16. Hull City - £0.61m

17. Southampton - £0.61m

18. Crystal Palace - £0.41m

19. Norwich City - £0.41m   

20. Cardiff City - £0.28m  

The analysis was carried out by global valuation experts American Appraisal