October 13 – Serie A club AS Roma are reportedly close to signing a longer term kit deal with US sportswear brand New Balance.
Roma ended their 10-year Nike deal four years early in July. That deal was worth €5 million per season. New Balance stepped in with a one-year agreement with terms now agreed, according to La Stampa, for a four-year extension.
Roma ended their deal with Nike saying that they were looking for new opportunities in the equipment and licensing space. They felt that Nike had undervalued them in comparison to kit deal held by rivals Juventus, AC Milan and Inter Milan that were more than double the Roma deal.
The club has been going through a process of change with Texas-based Italian-American billionaire Dan Friedkin taking over the ownership from James Pallotta in August.
The cost to Freidkin was €591 million, though the deal had reportedly been revised downward from an initial €750 million. Freidkin has final approval of the New Balance deal.
Roma missed out on qualification for this season’s Champions League after finishing fifth in Serie A and missed out on further qualifiction via the Europa League after losing their last-16 tie against eventual winners Sevilla.
They currently lie 10th in the Serie A table after three games but were penalised with a 3-0 defeat following an administrative error in the make-up of their matchday squad in a 0-0 draw against Hellas Verona.
Roma listed 23-year-old Amadou Diawara in the under-22 section of their squad, rather than the 25-man squad list for senior players. Guinea international Diawara, who turned 23 in July, played 89 minutes in the Serie A stalemate.
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