‘Thrilled’ - Newcastle United new contract confirmed ahead of £25m deal

FUN88 have been Newcastle’s main shirt sponsor for the last six seasons but the club negotiated an early exit from the £6.5million-per-season deal in order to pursue more lucrative commercial opportunities. Despite FUN88 no longer being The Magpies’ main shirt sponsor, the company’s partnership with the club will continue as an official Asian Betting Partner.

To replace FUN88 as a new shirt sponsor, Newcastle are understood to be closing in on a club record deal with Saudi Arabia based events company Sela, who are also part-owned by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund. The deal will see Sela become Newcastle’s new main shirt sponsor and is understood to be worth around £25million per-season.

Following confirmation of the end of FUN88’s shirt sponsorship deal, the new sponsorship deal with Sela could be announced as early as this week. Newcastle are yet to officially announce the details of the new shirts for the 2023-24 season which will see the club feature in the Champions League for the first time in over 20 years.

In a short statement on Twitter, Newcastle United’s official account posted: “Thank you FUN88 for your incredible support over the last 6 seasons. We look forward to continuing working with you as our Official Asian Betting Partner.”

FUN88 were Newcastle’s main shirt sponsor since the club returned to the Premier League in 2017. Following the news of a change in sponsorship, the company’s official Twitter account posted: “What a ride! Thrilled to be extending our long-standing partnership with this great club and excited for a very bright future together!”