Despite rumours over the past few seasons that Arsenal are set to move to Adidas when their current kit deal expires with PUMA, Nike have made a ‘significantly competitive offer’ to re-sign the Gunners.

DarrenArsenal1, who often gets reliable inside information about the club, tweeted on Sunday:

Arsenal’s rumoured Adidas deal started out at £60m-per-year but the latest reports had the figures somewhere closer to £40m.

Just one week ago, Arsenal were reportedly in ‘advanced talks’ with Adidas. Last summer rumours said the deal would net Arsenal £60m-a-year. Three weeks ago it was worth £50m, and then Sami Mokbel in the Mail claimed it was worth around £40m.

Arsenal signed a five-year-deal with Puma worth £150m in 2014, which was highly lucrative compared to their Premier League counterparts at the time.

Since then, however, rival clubs have gone on to sign even better kit deals, blowing Arsenal’s out of the water.

Chelsea’s deal with Nike is said to be worth £60m a year for 15 years, while Manchester United earn £75m a year from Adidas. Arsenal have fallen behind their rivals commercially and changing kit suppliers would certainly help them bridge the gap.

It’s been over two decades since Arsenal were last partnered with Adidas.

Sleeve sponsor

Arsenal are also reportedly close to signing an agreement with a Subscription Video on Demand service to become the club’s first sleeve sponsor at a cost of £10m-per-year.

Goal’s Chris Wheatley reported that the club, who recently signed a new deal with Emirates for shirt sponsorship that left it open for them to sign a sleeve sponsor, would surpass Liverpool’s five-year, £5m-a-year-deal with Western Union as well as Chelsea’s £8m-a-year deal with Alliance Tyres.

Arsenal’s previous deal with Emirates did not allow them to acquire a sleeve sponsor.

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

It was first reported that Arsenal would sign a sleeve sponsor in mid-February.

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. A sleeve sponsor would take them to 27 different partnership agreements.

Despite those deals, at present, Arsenal still lag behind both the red and blue sides of Manchester by a sum in excess of £100m.

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