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Liverpool, tied at the top of English soccer, is in negotiations with “four or five” companies for naming rights to the team’s new stadium.

“Talks are reasonably advanced and continue,” Ian Ayre, the northwest England-based team’s commercial director, said in an interview in Johannesburg. “We want to secure a partner as soon as possible.”

Liverpool, co-owned by American sports investors Tom Hicks and George Gillett, has won a record 18 league titles and five European Cups. Ayre said he wasn’t authorized to disclose the identities of those interested in bidding. The stadium is due to open in July 2012 after delays because of the credit crunch.

Ayre said the rights “will be worth considerably more than” Premier League rival Arsenal got from Dubai-based airline Emirates in 2004. The carrier agreed to pay about 100 million pounds ($153 million) to have its logo on the London team’s jerseys and stadium for 15 years.

The worst global financial crisis since the Great Depression is unlikely to hamper the team’s chances of signing a lucrative deal, he said.

“We don’t want to get someone who won’t be around in four years,” said Ayre, who joined Liverpool 18 months ago after working in marketing in Asia. “We want a partner who can take a long view and look beyond this current climate.”

With Liverpool vying with Manchester United as the top soccer brand in the growing economies in Asia, Liverpool should attract good bids for the naming rights, Angus McGougan, a business manager at London-based sports marketing consultancy Fast Track, said.

‘Fantastic Brand’

“Both Arsenal and Liverpool are fantastic brands but the fact remains that Liverpool has a greater heritage and global fan-base,” he said. “Clubs like Liverpool and Manchester United can market themselves as global brands.”

Earlier this year Liverpool announced a “short-term” delay in building the 70,000-seat stadium. Ayre said it was unlikely there would be further delays.

Liverpool is level on points at the top of the 20-team Premier League with Chelsea after 14 games. Last season it finished in 4th place, as matters off the field overshadowed the team’s performance.

Hicks and Gillett fell out publicly months after acquiring the club for 174 million pounds in February 2007. Gillett described the pair’s relationship as “unworkable” and was negotiating to sell his stake. The two men have since patched up their differences.

“The negative press affected us,” Ayre said. “But I would hope that it’s been and gone. I don’t think there’s been any lasting damage.” Yesterday he told delegates at the Soccerex conference that “airing our laundry in public was not part of the Liverpool way.”

Expanding

The owners told Ayre to overhaul the club’s commercial department. He recruited 15 permanent staff and the club signed 10 million pounds in sponsorship deals last season. Partners include Danish brewer Carlsberg A/S, German sportswear manufacturer Adidas AG and Bank of America Corp. Ayre said there is room for further growth, and is focusing on overseas markets in Asia and North America.

“We are now talking to people about being our car partner, our telecoms partner and our airline partner,” he said.

Liverpool is also likely to be the first Premier League club to send a team to play a friendly match in India, the world’s second-most populous country.

The club will shortly discuss submissions for a summer tour submitted by three event management companies.

(Source: Bloomberg)