The boss of Qatar Airways said Wednesday his company was considering "several options" for a potential sponsorship deal in the English Premier League. Speaking on the sidelines of a ceremony announcing a yet another sponsorship deal, this time with the South America football federation, CONMEBOL, Akbar al-Baker said a deal with the world's richest soccer league was a possibility.

"Well, we are looking at several options," he told Agence France-Presse (AFP). Asked what these might be, he smiled and refused to be drawn. An aide said the airline was in "negotiations," but added no more. Previous unconfirmed speculation has linked the airline to a potential ground-naming deal with Tottenham Hotspur, which are in the process of rebuilding their White Hart Lane stadium.

The Gulf airline has a growing number of high-profile football deals but has so far not ventured into the multi-billion pound English league. Deals agreed by Qatar Airways include shirt sponsorship deals with Italian side Roma and Boca Juniors of Argentina. It also has a sleeve sponsorship deal with Bayern Munich. In addition, Qatar Airways is the "official airline" for world governing body, FIFA as well as CONMEBOL, after it unveiled a deal with the South American football confederation on Wednesday. Akbar said the deals help promote the airline's image and well as that of Qatar, the football World Cup host in 2022.