AirAsia mulls Man United shirt sponsorship

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) -- Budget airline AirAsia is in talks with Manchester United about becoming the club's next shirt sponsor.

AirAsia chief executive Tony Fernandes said on his Internet blog Monday he has been in London to meet with United officials about a potential deal.

"There is no doubt that this would be great for AirAsia and ... it is worth the money," Fernandes said.

"We would not be the global brand we are today if we hadn't invested early on," he added. "The question is whether we need to anymore. And that's what I'll be examining."

United has been looking for a new shirt sponsor after insurance company American International Group recently announced it will no longer have its name emblazoned across the club's red jerseys when its current sponsorship deal expires in 2010.

United has also reportedly been in talks with Indian business conglomerate Sahara.

The Premier League club says any prospective sponsor would likely need to pay more than the 19 million pounds ($27 million) a year that the current deal with AIG is worth.

"To be honest, I don't know what the entire package would amount to, as prices would have come down," Fernandes said. "But it must be stated that all our branding commitments ... have always been about the impact to our bottom line."

Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.