On Friday 1 March Manchester City announced the worst kept secret in football that Puma were to take over the kit deal from the 2019/20 season. Manchester City have agreed a 10 year kit deal with the German manufacturer Puma worth £650 million, making this the third biggest similar deal in history behind Real Madrid and Manchester United. Puma will take over from Nike at the end of this season which will see some significant rebranding around the Etihad stadium complex and which seems to have already involved various Manchester City players who have signed deals with Puma in recent months. The Nike contract with its uninspiring designs for the majority of their City shirts based around a common design template has not satisfied many City fans who have felt the kits were too formulaic. There is some excitement and hope around that Puma will celebrate more of the bold designs which have permeated many of our favourite City kits in recent decades, not just be adding retro touches to new shirts but by striding firmly into the future with new iconic designs. The early indications are that next season the traditional blue home shirt will have some maroon detailing, that the away shirt will be black with maroon and that the third kit will be banana yellow – in a nod to the past which is likely to divide the fan base. Indeed many of the older fans have expressed some concerns about Puma who are well known for tight fitting sportswear which could render many of the City fans looking like oven ready chickens! The new Puma deal seems to include a selection of the Clubs within the City Football Group stable in Spain, China and South America, so it remains to be seen how much of the total sum will be revealed in the Manchester City accounts. But make no mistake this new Puma deal is a clear demonstration of the increasing commercial power and reach of City. Having a huge new sponsor will significantly bolster income in Financial Fair Play considerations and may well kick start a new procession of commercial partnerships. All of this will increasingly be viewed with alarm by our competitors as our growth continues.<doc-sep>Ferran Soriano, boss of the club's holding company City Football Group (CFG), said: "It is a historic day for us. What we are doing has not been done before. It is an unprecedented partnership."<doc-sep>Manchester City have signed a £650million kit deal with Puma, one of the biggest commercial contracts in football history. The partnership with Puma – first revealed by Sportsmail in November 2017 – covers City and four of its sister clubs. It is understood that City Football Group (CFG) will net £65m a season over the course of a 10-year contract. Aguero and David Silva starred in a Puma Instagram advert to promote the new tie-up The advert features Aguero and Silva discussing the sighting of a big cat or a Puma Vincent Kompany also features in the advert speaking about sightings of the big cat Manchester City chief executive Ferran Soriano with Puma CEO Bjorn Gulden following the agreement of a 10-year, £650m kit deal Gulden with Man City captain Vincent Kompany and City Women forward Pauline Bremer City's prolific Argentine striker Sergio Aguero is already a brand ambassador for Puma The agreement is the second-largest in Premier League history, behind only Manchester United's adidas deal. The recently purchased Sichuan Jiuniu in China will boast a new strip along with Girona, Melbourne City and Uruguay's Atletico Torque. The figures represent a huge hike on City's current kit contract, which stands at £20m a year with Nike. Initial discussions with Puma centred on producing kits solely for City before other clubs under their umbrella were later brought to the table. 'It's an historic day for us,' City chief executive Ferran Soriano said. 'What we are doing has never been done before. It is an unprecedented partnership. We needed a partner that can go fast with us. Aguero promotes a new Puma football boot in an image posted on his Instagram account City captain Kompany, also a Puma ambassador, is seen promoting their footwear City's Spanish midfielder David Silva sporting a Puma jacket and holding Puma trainers CITY FOOTBALL GROUP CLUBS Teams in bold will wear Puma kit Manchester City (England) New York City (USA) Melbourne City (Australia) Yokohama Marinos (Japan) Club Atletico Torque (Uruguay) Girona (Spain) Sichuan Jiuniu (China) Advertisement 'This is who we are now, this is the product we can offer. Having just one partner saves times in discussions and it allows us to do things globally. 'There are so many synergies and things that we can do together if we have the same partner. If we have one idea then we only have to talk to one person.' Puma are already looking at signing a number of Pep Guardiola's first-team squad, including Leroy Sane and Kevin De Bruyne. Vincent Kompany, Sergio Aguero and David Silva are already Puma ambassadors, with CEO Bjorn Gulden claiming: 'We have a good presence here but there will be more.' City's association with Nike, signed back in 2013, is drawing to a close as Puma come in MOST LUCRATIVE EXISTING AND FUTURE KIT DEALS Club Kit supplier Contract runs Total value (£) Per season (£) Barcelona Nike 2018-2028 1bn 100m Real Madrid Adidas 2015-2025 980m 98m Manchester United Adidas 2015-2025 750m 75m Manchester City Puma 2019-2029 650m 65m Arsenal Adidas 2019-2024 300m 60m Chelsea Nike 2017-2032 900m 60m Juventus Adidas 2019-2027 368m 46m Bayern Munich Adidas 2015-2030 637.5m 42.5m City's kit is set for launch in July when they face sister club Yokohama F Marinos as part of their pre-season preparations in Asia. Gulden added: 'There's no doubt from a global point of view that the Premier League has the biggest international impact so if you have the best club they will be the most important club. 'I think the fans globally like to see interesting and attacking football and City and Pep have that image. 'Pep as a personality is a positive thing. I think that you look at the players — it's going to be a brand leader of course.'<doc-sep>
LINDSEY PARNABY/Getty Images Manchester City have announced a new 10-year kit partnership with Puma worth a reported £650 million. The deal struck between Puma and City Football Group will see Manchester City, as well as partner clubs Melbourne City FC, Girona, Club Atletico Torque and Sichuan Jiuniu, partnered with the sportswear company form July 2019. Per City's official announcement, Puma CEO Bjorn Gulden said: "Puma's partnership with City Football Group is the largest deal that we have ever done—both in scope and ambition." MailOnline's Jack Gaughan reported the deal will be worth £65 million per year to City Football Group. The Sky Blues' current kit deal with Nike is worth £20 million per year. According to Sky Sports News, as by far the biggest of City Football Group's clubs, the Premier League champions will bag the "vast majority of the money" from the deal, which also covers women's and youth teams. In Premier League terms, the deal is eclipsed only by the £750 million, 10-year partnership between Manchester United and Adidas that has been running since 2015. Nike were also United's kit manufacturers before Adidas took up the duties. Video Play Button Videos you might like City's profile has risen massively over the last decade as they have emerged from the shadows of their hugely successful neighbours to become one of the best teams in Europe. They have won three Premier League titles in the 2010s, including last season's record-breaking success under Pep Guardiola, and Puma are likely banking on that success continuing into the future.