The contract linking AC Milan with Puma will expire in 2028 and, according to reports that have been circulating for days, it will not be renewed.
Further support for this scenario has come from a report by the authoritative football-kit website 'Footy Headlines', which announced that Adidas is close to reaching an agreement with a major Italian club.
Considering that the German brand already has Juventus and Roma under contract, Inter still has several years remaining on its agreement with Nike, Napoli produces its own shirts, and Como, currently supplied by Adidas, is considering following Napoli’s example, attention has naturally turned to Milan.
But what might initially have seemed like a simple deduction is, in fact, something much more substantial...
As early as April, reports had emerged suggesting that Milan might not renew its agreement with Puma and that talks were underway with both Adidas and Nike. The Herzogenaurach-based brand, however, (headquartered in the same town as Puma) is the company that has engaged most actively in discussions, and negotiations between the parties are already well advanced.
The message coming from 'Casa Milan' is one of caution, with the club focusing on its current partnership with Puma. That relationship is regarded as strategic and will be honoured in the best possible way until the existing agreement reaches its natural expiry. For Milan, the Puma deal has been a record agreement in financial terms.
At this point in time, Adidas wants to gain an advantage over all of its competitors by retaining, or attempting to regain, some of the most recognisable brands in the world. Milan is particularly valuable in this respect because of its history, tradition and global reach.
The relationship between the Rossoneri and Adidas has already been renewed several times over the years. The three-stripes brand actually made its debut in Italy by supplying Milan’s kits between 1978 and 1980, a period during which the Rossoneri won the long-awaited star for their tenth league title, as pointed out via Tuttosport in this morning's print edition.
A second agreement followed from 1990 to 1993, before the longest partnership began in 1998 and continued until 2018, when Puma took over. Milan’s first Puma agreement was signed by the club’s then-chief executive, Marco Fassone.
During those twenty years of cooperation, Adidas accompanied Milan through the club’s most recent period of major European and world success, including Champions League victories in 2003 and 2007, as well as two UEFA Super Cups, one FIFA Club World Cup, two Serie A titles and three Italian Super Cups.
There is still work to be done, but the path appears to be set for the Milan-Adidas partnership to return starting with the 2028-29 season.
