Arsenal are reportedly moving closer to a mega-kit deal with Adidas as rumours surrounding a manufacturer move refuse to die down

Arsenal’s contract with PUMA expires at the end of next season and it has been strongly rumoured that the club will move to Adidas when it does, if not before.

PUMA, for their part, have lined up Manchester City on a £45m-per-year deal as their flagship club as they seemingly get ready for life without Arsenal. That deal is expected to begin at the start of the 19/20 season when their agreement with Nike runs out.

Speaking on Twitter, @DarrenArsenal1, who often gets tidbits of insider information from the club, said,

Last summer, it was reported that the rumoured Adidas deal would see Arsenal net around £60m-per-year – double what they currently earn from PUMA who have underwhelmed since they replaced Nike at the start of the 13/14 season.

It was even rumoured that Arsenal could end their deal with PUMA early but as we get ever closer to the launch of the 18/19 kit, that seems unlikely now.

Arsenal currently earn £30m from PUMA. Chelsea’s deal with Nike is said to be worth £60m a year, for 15 years. Manchester United earn £75m a year from Adidas.

Arsenal are behind their rivals commercially and changing kit suppliers would help them bridge the gap.

Arsenal kit 1986 88
Arsenal kit 1986-88

Arsenal are expected to modify their kit for the 2019/20 season by adding a sleeve sponsor to the shirt for the first ever time.

Arsenal’s current shirt sponsorship was recently renewed and it was reported by the Telegraph in February, one of the most reliable Arsenal news sources around, that they will look to negotiate a sleeve sponsor separately.

daily telegraph arsenal sleeve sponsor 170218
Daily Telegraph 17 February, 2018

The club are said to be making the move to try and close the commercial gap between themselves and the Manchester sides. Arsenal’s commercial ability has often come in for criticism from fans.

At present, Arsenal lag behind both the red and blue sides of Manchester by a sum in excess of £100m.

Arsenal’s deal with PUMA, the largest of it’s kind when it was first signed, was quickly eclipsed by other clubs in the division.

Chelsea and Manchester City currently earn around £8m from sleeve sponsorship deals while Manchester United get £15m from their training kit sponsors.

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