Liverpool have ended their 17-year relationship with Standard Chartered as front-of-shirt sponsor, confirming Turkish Airlines will take over from the 2027/28 season in a five-year deal worth approximately £300 million — or around £60 million per year.
That annual figure matters. It's the number Liverpool were chasing. Standard Chartered's existing deal, signed in 2022, pays around £50 million a year. The club wanted to match the £60 million Manchester United secured from Snapdragon, and they've got it — arguably with a more globally recognizable brand on the shirt.
Why Turkish Airlines makes commercial sense
Turkish Airlines operates routes to more countries than any other airline on the planet and ranks as the fourth-largest carrier in the world. This isn't a regional brand buying visibility. It's a global company that has previously partnered with Manchester United, Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund — though never as a front-of-shirt or primary club partner. Liverpool represent a step up in that commercial relationship.
The tie-in with 2005 won't be lost on anyone either. Liverpool's chief commercial officer Ben Latty referenced "those special memories back in 2005" — the Istanbul Champions League final, which Turkish Airlines will quietly be very happy to have associated with their brand for the next five years.
Standard Chartered aren't disappearing entirely. They transition to a global partner role from June 2027, which softens the break and suggests the relationship soured commercially rather than personally. Seventeen years as front-of-shirt sponsor earns you that kind of exit.
What this means for Liverpool's commercial standing
Liverpool already claim more standalone retail outlets than any club in world sport, 1.5 billion social media interactions last season — 34% ahead of their nearest Premier League rival — and the highest average TV audience per season of any major European club over the past six years. Turkish Airlines are buying into a machine, not a project.
From a shirt odds and commercial valuation perspective, Liverpool have now positioned themselves firmly alongside City and United at the top of the Premier League's sponsorship market. The gap between them and the chasing pack just widened.
Turkish Airlines CEO Ahmet Olmustur called it "an important new chapter" in the airline's relationship with global sport. For Liverpool, it's simpler than that: they wanted £60 million a year, and they got it.
