Man City 'Getting Closer' to Swapping Nike for Puma in Huge Kit Deal Worth £45m Per Year

Manchester City could reportedly become the latest club to partner with Puma in a hugely lucrative sponsorship deal as their existing contract with Nike begins to near its end.

City kits have been supplied by Nike since 2013, but that six-year deal is due to expire at the end of next season (2018/19) and the soon-to-be Premier League champions are seemingly now looking for a bigger payday to truly secure their place among the world's football elite.

The current deal with Nike has been valued at anywhere between £12m and £20m annually by various reports and rumours of a big money switch to Puma have persisted for several months.

Now, in the latest gossip, a claim by The Sun puts an annual value of £45m on a potential agreement with Puma, who are also partnered with Arsenal, Leicester and Borussia Dortmund. Such a deal would more than double the club's annual kit supplier income.

But it must also be pointed out that The Sun's 'set to sign' headline on this story seems a little premature at this stage as the tabloid actually cites an 'Etihad source' who admits that nothing is concrete and negotiations with other kit suppliers, including Nike, have been ongoing as well.

ANTHONY DEVLIN/GettyImages

"There have been rumours for a while and nothing is set to be announced yet. There is more certainty about the place that everything is on the right track when it comes to Puma," the 'source' is quoted as saying.

"[Puma] are pushing the boat out and beating off some of their rivals. It is getting closer and closer...[but] City still have a strong relationship with Nike so the fans must be patient. There's work to be done."