Adidas to enter race for Barcelona kit sponsorship, interested in long-term partnership

Barcelona and Nike have been partners for over two decades now, but things have been troublesome between the Catalans and their main kit manufacturers.

Indeed, as claimed by club president Joan Laporta, Barcelona feel that the deal they have with Nike is not good enough, and as such, a lot of thought has been given to the idea of terminating the relationship in recent months.

Three options have been considered so far at Barça – continuing with Nike, joining hands with Puma, who are ready to offer a lucrative deal, or manufacturing their own kits under the Barça Licensing & Merchandising (BLM) wing.

New entrant in the race

Now, though, there appears to be a new entrant in the race as Adidas are considering throwing their hat in the ring.

Indeed, as per ‘X’ user and kit insider Memorabilia1899, Adidas are considering proposing a long-term partnership with Barcelona and replacing Nike as their kit sponsors.

It must be noted that the German sporting goods giants are already the primary kit manufacturers for Barcelona’s arch-rivals Real Madrid.

Quite how things would work out if they were to join hands with Barcelona as well would be interesting to see.

For now, though, the option of Adidas also becoming an option for the reigning La Liga champions has emerged on the horizon.

What has Laporta said?

In an interview this week, Barcelona president Laporta clarified the situation with Nike and affirmed that the possibility of the club producing their own kits is being considered seriously.

Addressing Barcelona’s future with Nike, Laporta claimed: “It’s up in the air. There is Nike, some Nike competitors… But there is a third way, to make our own shirt. These three ways are open.”

“It is a very important decision. There have been 27 years with Nike, we have had periodic meetings, we are having meetings, they have made an effort that I have greatly appreciated but it is not enough and we are going to decide what is best for Barça, the best option,” he added.

“It is the market and the market is telling us that Barça is worth more than what we have in the contract with Nike.”