Interesting stories coming out of Italy about how Nike, who sponsor Inter Milan, have backed plans for them to sign Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronaldo has long been a target of Spanish giants Real Madrid, but the twist to that transfer saga is that Real Madrid are an Adidas team. Having Ronaldo appear in pictures worldwide wearing a shirt with the Adidas logo would be too much for the Nike folks to handle.
If Ronaldo wants to leave Manchester this summer, as is expected, it is in Nike’s best interest to find him a Nike friendly team. Cue Inter Milan.
Nike currently sponsor the Nerazzurri as well as their star player Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Partnering Ibrahimovic and Ronaldo would give Nike a dream pairing and would be a major coup for Nike.
Never underestimate the impact that sponsorships like Nike have with top players have on what team they decide to play for. Nike for example are reported to pay Ronaldo over £100,000 a week, which is almost equal to what United play him. With that sort of investment, Nike will play a major role in where Ronaldo plays next season.