Bayern Munich In Talks With BMW To Replace Audi

Bayern Munich is reportedly "on the verge of completing negotiations" with BMW to replace German rival car manufacturer Audi as the club's official car partner, according to Ashish Khanna of INSIDE SPORT. Audi's sponsorship deal with the Bundesliga club will not expire until '25. However, reports suggest that BMW persuaded club President Uli Hoeness to replace Audi and is "also willing to pay a higher annual fee and purchase Audi's stake in the club as part of the deal." BMW, it is believed, would buy Audi's 8.33% stake in Bayern Munich, which it acquired for $105.3M in '11. On top of that, BMW is willing to pay more than the $35M per year that Audi currently contributes as part of its sponsorship deal. Meanwhile, Audi apparently approached Bayern with a €60M ($70M) deal to extend its contract with the club by a further five years, although Bayern's board is "supposedly in favour of switching to BMW" (INSIDE SPORT, 9/18).