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It’s appearing more likely by the day that Arsenal and adidas will be joining forces at some point in the future, as a tweet earlier today provided the basis to this story from Footy Headlines.
Told that Adidas have made a very big offer to be Arsenal new kit partner close +/- £50m PA. May encompass other merchandise rights as well. Decision on kit rights will be soon
— Darren (@DarrenArsenal1) March 29, 2018
This is far from the first time that the club and apparel giant have been linked together, and if this rumor became reality it would bring the two entities back in a partnership for the first time in over 20 years. Puma, Arsenal’s kit sponsor since 2014-15, is approaching its final season of their deal in 2018-19. And with all this talk about adidas gathering steam and momentum, the one question that’s gone unreported now seems to be if Arsenal would ever consider buying out their final year with Puma.
While unlikely, if Arsenal switch suppliers, it’s far from unprecedented. Chelsea famously paid an undisclosed sum to end their deal with adidas six years early, but given the announcement of that termination occurred in May 2016, it meant the club had to wait an extra season before starting anew with Nike.
That’s the question for Arsenal now. Will they (more than likely) stay for a final season with Puma, or buy out of their agreement and wear adidas much sooner than expected?