'José Mourinho' still belongs to Chelsea: Manchester United arrival delayed by image rights

José Mourinho's eminent arrival at Manchester United is getting so drawn out that it now feels like the white-walkers' walk towards Westeros. As football pundits and fans wait for the official word on the Portuguese's new stint in the Premier League, a few reports have come out with a few bizarre reasons for the delay in official announcement.

A report in the Independent says that complications in the Mourinho-to-Manchester move have arisen because Chelsea, Mourinho's former club, still 'own' his name.

The report points to the the European Union’s Intellectual Property Office database, which confirms that ‘José Mourinho’ is still a registered trademark of Chelsea Football Club Limited.

Aside from this 'nominal' issue, a few other image rights issues remain to be resolved before the deal is finalised between the club and the manager. Mourinho has a deal with car manufacturer Jaguar, which is creating a conflict of interest as United have a deal with Chevrolet. The former Chelsea manager also has a deal with Swiss watch-manufacturers Hublot, whereas Manchester United has ties with an American watch company Bulova.

Aside from the image rights issues, the former Chelsea and Real Madrid manager, however, has agreed personal terms on a three-year deal with a likely annual salary of at least £10 million ($15 million, 13 million euros) and Manchester United were locked in a second day of talks with Mourinho's agents on Wednesday, hammering out a deal to sweep the controversial Portuguese boss into Old Trafford.

The 53-year-old is mulling a bid for Zlatan Ibrahimovic as one of his first moves in the job, according to media reports, after the star Sweden striker played his final game for French champions Paris Saint-Germain last week.

United finally sacked Louis van Gaal on Monday, two days after the club won the FA Cup with a 2-1 win over Crystal Palace.

Despite the victory, the Old Trafford club's failure to qualify for the lucrative Champions League proved fatal to the Dutchman's hopes of staying on as manager.

After a first day of talks between Mourinho's agent Jorge Mendes and the club's executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward, United goalkeeping great Peter Schmeichel said they likely involved both sides setting out the direction they want the club to go in.

"I always expected José Mourinho to have Manchester United at the very top of his list -- his dream job. I think he can be an absolute success but has a lot to prove," the Dane told Sky Sports television.

"I'm looking forward to this next period and hopefully he will give all fans belief that all is well and they are going in the right direction."