Adidas is expected to sign a 10-year deal to supply Manchester United’s kit that could be worth up to £750m after rival Nike declined to match the German company’s offer. It is likely to be the biggest deal in football and worth more than double that Real Madrid has with the company.
Prolonged talks between Nike and United to extend the 13-year kit deal ended with a statement from the US company saying the terms on offer ‘did not represent good value for Nike’s shareholders’ and that its relationship would end after next season.
Adidas is expected to sign a 10-year deal to supply Manchester United’s kit that could be worth up to £750m after rival Nike declined to match the German company’s offer. It is likely to be the biggest deal in football and worth more than double that Real Madrid has with the company.
Prolonged talks between Nike and United to extend the 13-year kit deal ended with a statement from the US company saying the terms on offer ‘did not represent good value for Nike’s shareholders’ and that its relationship would end after next season.
Nike was given a period of exclusivity to extend the deal, but when this expired United approached rival companies. It still had the right to match any competing offer, but has decided not to exercise that option.
Nike was still a novice in football when it signed with United in 2002, but its association with one of the game’s biggest clubs helped position it as a rival to the more established Adidas. Nike also suffered a blow in the fight for supremacy between the two companies in football with the exit of Brazil from the World Cup. Nike is no longer represented in the competition, whereas Adidas supplies Germany.