Puma courts Cherki with €4M-per-season deal as Adidas fights to keep him

Rayan Cherki has become a top target for Puma in the sportswear market. According to L’Équipe, the brand is currently pushing hard to secure the services of the Manchester City midfielder, whose contract with Adidas expires this summer.

Since his transfer to Manchester City last summer, the 22-year-old’s commercial value has skyrocketed. His first season in the Premier League, combined with an image considered particularly accessible and positive, has attracted the attention of major sports brands.

Puma, which recently signed with Manchester City the biggest kit sponsorship deal in collective sports history — one billion euros over ten years — is looking to strengthen its portfolio of individual football ambassadors. Cherki would fit perfectly into this strategy: the reported amount, between €3 and €4 million per season, would place him in the top 10 best-paid players by their equipment supplier globally.

Adidas has no intention of letting the French international slip away without a fight. The three-stripe brand has featured Cherki in several advertising campaigns in recent months, a sign that it considers the player a top commercial asset. A contract extension offer is reportedly on the table.

The outcome of this tug-of-war between two sports equipment giants will depend largely on Cherki’s personal ambitions, whose rising performance on the pitch is now matched by real pulling power off the field.