Nike and Barcelona have been “married” so to speak since 1998, when Nike took over from Kappa as Barcelona’s uniform supplier. As time has gone along Nike has provided some memorable and not so memorable kits, Barcelona in pink anyone, for the club.
Now according to Forbes, Puma is set to step in next season at what is reported at $124.5 million plus add on’s a season for Barcelona. Talks have increased over the last two weeks and the two parties are close to signing a deal.
The only roadblock is Barcelona’s current deal with Nike, which runs until 2028, a source close to the ongoing talks with Puma stated that Puma will not sign any agreement until Barcelona formally terminates it’s deal with Nike.
How much will Nike lose without Barcelona?
According to Forbes, Nike stands to lose $378 million if Barcelona terminates their agreement prematurely. Nike has no intention of breaking the contract unless they are compensated by the Catalan club.
Puma has informed Barcelona they plan to work hard in promoting e-commerce for the club’s merchandise at a worldwide level, it would also give Puma two of the top clubs in the world, Manchester City and Barcelona.
Nike losing presence in soccer
Nike has lost many major teams over the course of the last decade, the uniform supplier lost Manchester United, Boca Juniors, Mexico, Galatasaray, RB Leipzig, New Zealand and, soon, Portugal.
Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland, Jamal Musiala, and Vinicius Jr. are still under contract with the brand, with Nike focusing on only dressing the best soccer players, not so much focused on clubs.
Nike is still and for the foreseeable future the uniform supplier of the USMNT, a relationship which has lasted since 1995.
