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On Monday, Manchester United and Adidas agreed to an extension of their 10-year collaboration for £900 million ($1.1 billion). In the 2015-16 season, German sportswear giant Adidas reunited with the club after 23 years and replaced Nike as the team's official kit sponsor, signing a £750 million agreement that was a record at the time.
The partnership will continue through June 2035 thanks to the new agreement with Adidas, which was made public ahead of the 2023-24 Premier League season, which begins next month. Apart from the Red Devils, Premier League giants like Arsenal get £ 75 million per season (an 8-year deal signed in 2022), Manchester City make £ 65 million per season (a 10-year deal signed in 2019), Chelsea signed a 15-year in 2016 for £60 million per season. On the other hand, Liverpool and Tottenham each get £30 million per season from their respective kit deals.
According to the company's most recent annual report, the initial contract with Adidas relates a portion of the yearly payments to the club's participation in the Champions League. The new agreement, which was announced by United and Adidas, intensifies the spotlight on the Manchester United women's squad since its comeback in 2018.
Manchester United's CEO Richard Arnold stated in a release, “The relationship between Manchester United and Adidas is one of the most iconic in world sport, forged through a shared commitment to style, flair, and most importantly, high performance.
“With its roots in the 1980s, our partnership has been reinvented over the past decade with some of the most innovative designs and technology in sportswear. We are now looking forward to refreshing this powerful partnership again through the remainder of this decade and into the 2030s,” Arnold added further.
Under the direction of Dutch coach Erik ten Hag, the 20-time English top-flight champions are in the midst of a comeback. Last season, they outperformed expectations by finishing third in the league and qualifying for the coveted UEFA Champions League. The English League Cup victory over Newcastle United in February gave the 53-year-old manager of the Manchester team his first trophy in that role.
In a time when the storied club is up for sale, the bumper deal for the club's single biggest source of revenue offers some stability. United's American owners, The Galzers, are currently weighing offers from English businessman Jim Ratcliffe and Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani. The 15th of August marks the start of United's upcoming Premier League season versus Wolves.
