Manchester United's ridiculously lucrative new deal with Adidas comes with a proviso attached.
The team must return to the Champions League by the the end of the 2016-17 season at the latest, or else there will be a 30% reduction in their €75 million a year deal.
The condition stipulates that if United's go two successive seasons without Champions League football, the 30% cut will kick in. However the clock only starts ticking on that in the 2015-16 season. This season's absence from the Champions League does not come into play.
Unlike previous partnership deals, this one is directly related to performance, with United standing to gain €4m bonus should they win the Premier League, FA Cup, or Champions League.
Also, rather quaintly, the deal states that Adidas can half their funding for every year United they spend outside the Premier League should they be relegated. Though, not even the most-optimistic ABU would bank on that being triggered.
