Arsenal celebrate £30m-a-year kit deal with Puma

Arsenal will end its 20 year association with kit-maker Nike to sign a deal thought to be worth £30million-a-year with Puma.

The German company will officially take over kit manufacture on July 1, as part of a five-year deal that represents a landmark figure for both the Gunners and the sports brand.

Puma already endorses the Premier League contenders top goal-scorer Olivier Giroud but will now take over wide-ranging licensing rights to develop other Arsenal-branded merchandise on a global basis.

Puma had been targeting the club, which has been with US sporting giant Nike since 1994, for a number of years.

Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis said: “We are excited to be partnering with Puma, a company whose football heritage and record of innovation have a strong affinity with our own.This represents another important step forward in Arsenal’s progression on and off the pitch.”