Puma suspect Barcelona are using them to get better deal from Nike, talks have slowed down

Over the past couple of months, Barcelona have seen their relationship with kit-makers Nike completely deteriorate as the club feel the terms of the deal between the two parties are not good enough.

Barcelona and Nike have been partners for over 20 years now and have a contract that runs until the summer of 2026, with an option for an extension of two more years.

But, Barça have not been pleased with the current agreement and have been trying to negotiate new terms, something the US sports goods giants are unwilling to do.

It gave way to speculations about Barcelona terminating their agreement with Nike and joining hands with a different brand, with Puma emerging as the frontrunners.

In fact, reports in January suggested that an agreement over a mammoth €200 million per year deal was close with the German brand.

Talks slow down

However, according to SPORT, talks between Puma and Barcelona have now completely slowed down as the former suspect that the Blaugrana could be using them to get a better deal from Nike.

The negotiation, which is being carried out in parallel with club president Laporta, but also with the heads of BLM (Barça Licensing and Merchandising), was advancing at a good pace and in a sustained manner.

Nike and Barcelona not on good terms. (Photo by Getty Images)

From Germany, Arne Freundt, Puma’s president has been leading the offensive, together with Javier Ortega, their general director for Europe from August 2023.

Puma are clear that at Barça there is a story that fits with their brand: effort, grassroots work, competitiveness, boldness, bravery. And they want to join forces with the Catalans, but nothing is easy.

Puma want Barcelona to terminate their agreement with Nike and leave no room for any legal ramifications in the future, following which they are ready to take things forward.

The problem is that there is no progress in that direction and Puma are beginning to be suspicious of the intentions of the Blaugrana.

The German brand suspects that they are being used to get more profit from Nike, and that Barça could use the negotiations with them to even get a contract extension beyond 2028 with their current kit manufacturers.

Such a move would even allow the club to obtain advanced income from Nike to balance the numbers for the current financial year.

It remains to be seen how things pan out in the weeks to come, with Barcelona expected to make a final decision on the matter before March.