Nike Could Push Franck Ribery From Bayern Munich To Barcelona – Report

Franck Ribery has just put pen-to-paper on a new deal with Nike and that could influence whether or not he stays with Bayern Munich this summer.

Apr 2, 2009 10:25:45 AM

More On :  FC Barcelona, FC Bayern München, Franck Ribéry
Bundesliga: FC Bayern München - VfL Bochum, Zweikampf zwischen Franck Ribery und Mimoun Azaouagh (firo)

Bayern Munich may not want to sell Franck Ribery in the summer but Nike may try to help push through a move to Barcelona after the player penned a new sponsorship deal with them, according to a report in Sport.

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The French star has been linked with a switch in recent weeks to one of Europe's richest clubs and it now appears that the Blaugrana could be given a helping hand.

Ribery extended his deal with Nike this week until 2014. It is a deal that will see him earn €1.2 million-per-year from the American sportswear giant and certain demands will be made of him.

Bayern have always been synonymous with the Adidas brand and that is where the difficulty lies. The higher the former Olympique de Marseille winger's profile rises, the more he will be pressured to change club.

Nike are rumoured to believe that the Bayern kit overpowers their branding and they would rather see him in a kit made by them.

Barcelona are the favourites to land Ribery should he move, however, Manchester United and Inter are also two of Nike's major teams in European football and could also be in the frame.

The Bundesliga outfit are aware of the report and club director Karl-Heinz Rummenigge stated that he does not believe that any move will come down to the player's sponsor becoming involved.

"The contract with a sponsor should not affect the relationship between the club and the player," Sport quote him as saying. "We do not have any intention of letting him leave."

Lucas Brown, Goal.com
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