Puma to be A.C. Milan football club's next kit sponsor

Last October, Italian football club A.C. Milan announced it had mutually agreed with Adidas to end the sponsorship contract which linked the two for nearly 20 years. Recently, A.C. Milan signed a contract with Diesel for its non-match outfits. And Adidas' arch-rival, Puma, is now set to become the Italian football club's kit sponsor from 1st July, after signing a "long-term" agreement.

The club is a seven-times European champion, but never went above 6th place in the last four Serie A league seasons. Bought in April 2017 by Chinese businessman Yonghong Li, A.C. Milan was very aggressive on the transfer market last summer, spending some €230 million on new players, seeking to recapture its former glory.

Clearly, the club's pedigree and ambition both appeal to Puma. The German sport brand, whose sales are currently buoyant, has been busy raising its profile in football in the last few seasons. The Italian club is the latest addition to its portfolio of top-level European teams, from Arsenal in the Premier League to Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga and soon also Olympique Marseilles in France's Ligue 1. In terms of players, Puma is endorsed by top names such as Antoine Griezmann, Olivier Giroud, Sergio ‘Kun’ Agüero and Cesc Fàbregas.

And in 2018, a World Cup year, Puma will be present at the Russia-organised tournament by kitting out the national teams of Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Cameroon, the Ivory Coast, Ghana and the Czech Republic. It also recently announced a new partnership deal with the Senegal national team.

The two parties have not disclosed the term of the contract nor the amount pledged by Puma.

With AFP