From The Times' business section:
O2 Shun The Glazers - United see double over new shirt deal
Senior executives at Manchester United have contacted potential sponsors in a desperate attempt to find one willing to pay up to double the £9 million a year contributed by Vodafone, whose name will cease to emblazon the team's shirts at the end of this season.
The Times has learnt that the football club has contacted executives at O2, the mobile phone group being acquired by its Spanish rival Telefónica, to ask if it will replace Vodafone at Old Trafford.
Sources close to O2 said last night that the group had shunned the approach. They said that Andy Anson, Manchester United's commercial director, had been asking for between £15 million and £20 million in sponsorship, around double the size of Vodafone's contract.
The sources said that Mr Anson had been ordered by the Glazer family, who now control the club, to increase the size of the deal significantly.
Manchester United is also understood to have approached a number of international technology companies, such as Google, Yahoo!, IBM, Sony and LG, about finding a replacement for Vodafone.
The club's commercial team is also thought to have spoken to Coca-Cola and Levi Strauss.
The announcement of Vodafone's departure is viewed by many as a setback in the business plan of Malcolm Glazer, United's new owner, who also controls
the Tampa Bay Buccaneers American football team. However, Mr Anson insists that it will allow the club to negotiate a better deal.
Mr Anson is under pressure to secure a similar sponsorship deal to that of Real Madrid, the Spanish club. Real Madrid has a £16 million-a-year contract with the Taiwanese mobile company BenQ Mobile. The sponsorship deal kicks off in the summer.
Ed. It seems to be a herculean task for the ludicrous Andy Anson. This is the idiot who recently claimed that our Malaysian fans were just as passionate as our Salford bretheren.