According to the latest report from L'Équipe, the sponsorship contracts of Mbappe and Cherki are both set to expire this summer, and they may both change their endorsement brands.
Reportedly, Mbappe's contract with Nike will expire on July 31st. Therefore, if he decides not to renew, he will be unable to sign a new contract with other brands until 2027. Doué's destination is already settled: two months ago, he signed a multi-million euro contract with Nike, becoming one of Nike's highest-paid endorsed players. Dembele still has two years left on his contract with Adidas.
Who will Mbappe sign with after his contract with Nike expires? Mbappe will not renew before July 31st, and will most likely start the new season without an official equipment sponsor. However, the possibility of him continuing with Nike still exists. Sources say there is a 50% chance he will renew with Nike, a 10%-15% chance he will sign with an industry giant, and the remaining probability goes to new entrants.
Nike's main competitor is not Adidas, which withdrew from the Mbappe race months ago, unwilling to match his required remuneration. Nor will it be Puma or the increasingly aggressive Under Armour, but rather an undisclosed brand not yet involved in football. Nike's offer is expected to make Mbappe the highest-paid equipment-sponsored player globally.
According to some contract terms, the annual sponsorship fee, excluding additional bonuses, is approximately 20 million euros, far exceeding Haaland's approximately 16 million euros. The new brand, however, intends to tackle innovation and salary simultaneously, similar to Roger Federer's partnership with ON and Michael Jordan's with Nike. This would no longer be a simple sponsorship contract; he could also participate in the brand's development in football and directly benefit from the economic gains of brand expansion.
Cherki's 5-year contract with Adidas will also expire this summer. In recent months, they have increased their promotion of Cherki. Now, Puma is preparing to go all out to sign the French international. After signing the largest sponsorship contract in the history of sports collective projects with Manchester City (a ten-year, 1 billion euro deal), Puma hopes to continue its strategy of attracting more big-name stars.
If Cherki accepts Puma's current offer, signing a contract with an annual sponsorship fee of approximately 3 to 4 million euros, he will join the ranks of the top 10 highest-paid equipment-sponsored players globally. Olise, on the other hand, is an "anomaly" in the equipment sponsorship circle; he has yet to sign any exclusive sponsorship contract. This choice has cost him millions of euros in income but has also given him complete freedom.