Technology giant Microsoft has confirmed it is in talks with Real Madrid about striking a deal with the club for the naming rights over the Santiago Bernabeu.
Los Blancos president Florentino Perez confirmed last month that the club was looking at the option of selling the rights to the stadium name in a bid to raise 400 million euros needed to revamp the iconic stadium. Microsoft had been mentioned as a possibility although the company had not confirmed or denied any of the reports until now.
But speaking to Antena 3, Maria Garana, head of Microsoft’s Spanish division, said there were discussions going on between the two parties.
“We are talking. We have an excellent relationship with Real Madrid and in fact recently we signed an agreement with its [charity, Real Madrid] foundation. They have proposed to us, and to other companies, renaming the stadium, but we are only talking about this possibility,” she stated.
Many have speculated that Dubai-based airline Emirates may also be keen on agreeing a deal to call the stadium the Emirates Santiago Bernabeu. The airline paid Arsenal around 200 million euros to be their shirt sponsor until 2015 and sponsor the stadium until 2028. Any deal with Real Madrid would be likely to dwarf any of its kind in world football however.
