UK football team Manchester City has announced that PUMA will replace Nike as its kit provider and official partner following the signing of a ten year deal. The decade-long partnership is reportedly worth up to £600 million GBP (approximately $800 million USD) and hugely eclipses Manchester City’s existing deal with Nike, which is believed to be priced at roughly £20 million GBP (approx. $26.5 million USD) per season. The partnership will begin in July 2019, and will also see PUMA work with every member of the City Football Group, the group that owns Manchester City. This also includes Melbourne City in Australia, Girona FC in Spain, Uruguay’s Club Atlético Toque and Chinese club Sichuan Jiunui FC. In other football news, Nike and Inter Milan recently celebrated its anniversary. WE’RE NOT REALLY HERE pic.twitter.com/44RiwPvv8M — PUMA Football (@pumafootball) February 28, 2019<doc-sep>Man City agree 10-year £650m deal with Puma to join Man Utd in sponsorship big leagues The reigning Premier League champions, who are currently working in partnership with Nike, will be welcoming in a new dawn from the summer of 2019 Manchester City have signed the biggest kit deal in their history and the second-highest in the Premier League, with a 10-year agreement with Puma worth a reported £650 million ($863m). The deal sits only behind Manchester United’s with Adidas when it comes to the most lucrative in the English top-flight. City, who currently work in partnership with Nike, will see a new sponsorship contract kick in from the summer of 2019. Article continues below The club’s chief executive, Ferran Soriano, has said: “It’s a historic day for us because what we are doing has not been done before, an unprecedented partnership covering five clubs over four continents.” Puma’s deal includes not only Manchester City but also sister clubs Melbourne City, Girona, Club Atletico Torque and Sichuan Jiuniu and involves the male, female and youth sides. Bjorn Gulden, the CEO of Puma, told City’s official website: “PUMA’s partnership with City Football Group is the largest deal that we have ever done - both in scope and ambition. “We are very excited to partner with City Football Group, whose success, ambition and drive for innovation has seen them setting new standards, on and off the field. “We look forward to building the most innovative partnership in football by redefining the sports partnership model both on and off the pitch. “We want to maximise on-field performance as well as football culture, in areas such as music, gaming and fashion to connect and inspire the fanbase of each team.” Soriano added: “This announcement marks the start of an exciting new chapter for City Football Group. “Our relationship with PUMA, covering five City Football Group clubs across four continents, will reset the model for sports partnerships on a truly global scale whilst being locally relevant and authentic for fans around the world. “PUMA share our vision for challenging expectations, and we are looking forward to what we believe will be a ground-breaking partnership.” Puma are already involved with a number of leading figures at the Etihad Stadium. Among their list of sponsorship clients are City’s star striker Sergio Aguero. They are also tied to club captain Vincent Kompany and star players within the women’s team including Caroline Weir, Pauline Bremer and Nikita Parris.<doc-sep>Manchester City were made to work for their 1-0 win over West Ham, which sees them remain one point behind leaders Liverpool. (1:31) MANCHESTER, England -- Manchester City have agreed the second biggest kit deal in Premier League history -- only behind neighbours Manchester United -- after announcing a new long-term deal with Puma covering the Premier League champions and four of its sister clubs. Although the details of the deal have been kept secret, sources have told ESPN FC that they have agreed a 10-year deal worth around £65 million a year. That is a significant hike on the current £20m deal with Nike that finishes at the end of the season. The agreement covers City along with A-League side Melbourne City, La Liga club Girona, Atletico Torque in Uruguay and the newly bought Chinese team Sichuan Jiuniu. New York City, who are also part of the City Football Group (CFG), are bound by the MLS-wide sponsorship with Adidas. CFG CEO Ferran Soriano believes the deal shows that City are now competing with the biggest clubs in Europe for sponsorship deals. "It is a historic day for us, what we are doing has never been done before," he said. "It is an unprecedented partnership. We needed a partner that can go fast with us. "This is who we are now, this is the product we can offer." City players Sergio Aguero, Vincent Kompany and David Silva already have individual deals with Puma and the sports manufacturer will explore the possibility of adding more from the first-team squad. But City will become the biggest club in the their portfolio and Puma CEO Bjorn Gulden says that Pep Guardiola's style of play had an impact on their decision to go with the English side. "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," he said. "I think the fans globally like to see interesting and attacking football and City and Pep have that image. "A lot of it has to do with the history of these guys coming from Barcelona and Pep as a personality is a positive thing. But I think that you look at the players -- it's going to be a brand leader of course." The new kit will be launched in early July ahed of the preseason tour to Japan and will be worn for the first time in their friendly with another CFG club Yokohama F Marinos. The Japanese side are also not part of the deal as they are covered by a current agreement with Adidas.<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>
German sportwear manufacturer Puma signed a long-term strategic partnership with current English Premier League champions Manchester City. It will be taking over from Nike as it seeks to make up for losing another of its Premier League teams, Arsenal to rival Adidas from next season. The official size of the deal, which was announced Thursday, has not been disclosed but it's reportedly a decade-long agreement valued at around £65 million ($86 million) a year. "Our relationship with Puma, covering five City Football Group clubs across four continents, will reset the model for sports partnerships on a truly global scale whilst being locally relevant and authentic for fans around the world," Ferran Soriano, CEO of Manchester City said in a statement. From July 2019, Puma will be the official partner of Manchester City, Melbourne City, Girona, Club Atlético Torque and Sichuan Jiuniu FC. The last of which is a Chinese third division team that Manchester City's parent company City Football Group (CFG) only purchased last week. Puma will also be supplying all CFG's extended teams including men's, women's and youth soccer, but not its MLS team New York City FC, due to a league-wide US agreement with Adidas. "Puma's partnership with City Football Group is the largest deal that we have ever done — both in scope and ambition," said Bjorn Gulden, CEO of PUMA, in a statement on Thursday. "We want to maximize on-field performance as well as soccer culture, in areas such as music, gaming and fashion to connect and inspire the fanbase of each team." Arsenal announced its switch back to Adidas back in October, with the North London team signing a five-year deal reportedly worth £300 million from next season until 2024. The value of Manchester City's deal per season would see it jump above Arsenal's as third in the most lucrative kit deals in soccer, behind Barcelona's contract with American company Nike and Manchester United's with Adidas which are worth £140 million and £75 million-a-year, respectively.