Liverpool kit: Reds to DITCH Nike in 2025 for annual £50m Adidas deal
Liverpool could be set to end their collaboration with Nike and move to Adidas from the beginning of the 2025-26 season, according to reports.
SportsBusiness have revealed that the Reds are on the brink of changing kit suppliers at the end of next season, bringing to an end what would be a five-year relationship with the American apparel giants.
The report suggests that Adidas won out in a tender process which also included Nike and Manchester City suppliers Puma, and are set to announce a five-year deal until 2030.
Liverpool’s current Nike contract is worth £30m per season, with that figure edging closer to £50m courtesy of a revenue share agreement on net sales.
The report also claims that the Adidas deal will fall in between that £50m figure and the £90m per season the German firm agreed with rivals Manchester United, which runs until 2035.
Liverpool back with Adidas
Adidas have represented Liverpool on two occasions in the past, the first of which a long-standing relationship throughout their league championship-winning years in the late 80s, through to 1996, when they shifted to Reebok.
They then returned under Rafa Benitez’s tenure, producing the kit between 2006 and 2012, before Warrior and latterly New Balance took the reins until Nike’s deal commenced in 2020.
There were bitter recriminations at the end of the New Balance deal, with the manufacturer suing the club and claiming it had a right to match Nike's offer. Judges found in Nike's favour.
Adidas are moving aggressively in the Premier League market; they already provide Arsenal, Fulham and Nottingham Forest, and from next season have acquired both Aston Villa Newcastle from UK-based provider Castore.
Trent Alexander-Arnold is one of Adidas's flagship athletes, having joined the roster in 2023 and endorsing the brand's iconic Predator boots.
Adidas financial storm
The German Football Association (DFB) recently parted ways with Adidas, ending a decades-long relationship between the national team and the three-stripe brand, moving to bitter rivals Nike.
Earlier this year, the sportswear manufacturer posted its first loss in 30 years and warned that sales in the United States were set to fall again this year.
Adidas has been in distress since dropping Kanye West in October 2022, suspending sales of its highly-profitable Yeezy line of shoes.