Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich are reportedly close to signing a new sponsorship deal with German carmaker BMW, which could take over from rival brand Audi as the club’s Official Car Partner. Audi’s contract with Bayern is set to expire in 2025, but BMW is reportedly willing to pay a higher annual fee and purchase Audi’s stake in the club as part of the deal. BMW, a local brand whose global headquarters is located in Munich, is willing to buy out Audi’s 8.3 per cent stake in the club, which it acquired for €90m in 2011. Audi had reportedly approached Bayern with an offer to extend its current partnership for another five years with an increased fee, but Bayern turned it down in favour of inking a new deal with BMW. Experts believe Bayern may wish to disassociate from Audi because it is owned by Volkswagen, which remains tarnished by its 2015 emissions scandal. But while Audi’s current partnership with Bayern is still active, it can refuse to terminate the contract ahead of its expiry date.
BMW could soon take over from rival Audi as official car partner of German club Bayern Munich, in a deal that would include the automaker purchasing Audi’s 8.3% stake in the club. Bayern reportedly wants to distance itself from Audi's parent company Volkswagen as a result of the 2015 emissions scandal. The news comes just days after VW announced it was recalling nearly 500,000 diesel cars worldwide due to software designed to cheat on emission tests. It has offered to extend the partnership an additional five years, though Bayern has reportedly turned this down.