Which Club Would Nike Want Mbappé To Sign For?

Nike have worked incredibly hard to fine-tune PSG’s streetwear-infused image and with immensely successful results too, and Mbappé has played a pivotal role in that campaign as his hype on pitch was complemented by a different kind of hype off it. But there has been wide-spread speculation that the Frenchman is ready to depart his homeland in search of a new, and perhaps more domestically challenging adventure.

PSG’s global brand is huge, and Nike can take a lot of pride in the role they played in building that, but while the club have competed well in the Champions League, Ligue 1 is a level below the Premier League and La Liga, certainly in terms of global coverage. And that category is one that makes the Swoosh tick.

What Nike will be desperate to avoid is another Cristiano Ronaldo situation. Their most decorated player of all time has spent the entire peak of his career at adidas sponsored clubs in Real Madrid and Juventus and that, luckily for Nike, has been a two way street thanks to adidas’ main man Messi wearing the Swoosh on his Barcelona jersey.

In 2018 Forbes estimated that Ronaldo created $216m in value for rivals adidas, while Messi sent $111m back to Nike. Every time either player posts a match photo on their social media they’re unavoidably promoting their respective sponsors’ arch rival. With Mbappé, Nike will do whatever it takes to avoid a player who they see as a genuine icon in a post-CR7 era making the move to Real Madrid. It’s vital for the brand that he stays at a Nike sponsored club so that they can fully maximise his marketability and avoid free exposure to adidas.

Last week adidas launched their Palace collaboration with Juventus, but rather than roll out any official imagery the Three Stripes waited until kick off knowing full well that other news outlets would choose Cristiano Ronaldo to unofficially front the collection, and when he scored a stoppage time winner it was job done. Yeah, Nike don't like that much...

So who would Nike prefer Mbappé to sign for? The only two contenders are Barcelona or Liverpool. The probable reality is that neither Barca or Liverpool could afford what PSG will be asking for, so it’s inevitable that Nike would have to help with funds if the brand want him to be playing in La Liga or the Premier League.

Nike have previous when it comes to funding transfers, whether that be directly or indirectly. The Swoosh played a prominent role in bringing Frenkie de Jong to Barca and it’s in the brand’s best interests for Barcelona to be successful to maximise the near €105m per year they pay the club to don their famous Swoosh logo. In 2016 Nike extended their contract with Barcelona to 2028 at that €105m per year figure. There are a number of win bonuses on top of that figure that can see the deal rise up to €160m per year meaning that the club, theoretically, could agree an upfront sum to be paid by Nike to clinch the Mbappé transfer now instead of receiving it when they lift the titles that would trigger that sum later. Of course, the same could be said for Liverpool now the Swoosh have sealed the deal at Anfield.

So which league would Nike want Mbappé to be playing in? You could argue that for many years Nike haven’t had a genuine superstar in the Premier League. Raheem Sterling has emerged as their main man in the last couple of seasons, but before that you’re looking at the likes of CR7, Drogba, Henry, and Rooney as leading players on the pitch. Sure, Eden Hazard was world class at Chelsea but he doesn’t come close to Mbappé's influence and next-generation status off the pitch, and that’s something that Nike will crave. Paul Pogba might not have lit things up on the pitch at Manchester United yet, but adidas have a Premier League icon with unrivalled reach and influence in the world’s most watched league.

While La Liga has less coverage than the Premier League, the lure of seeing Mbappé in the shirt of their biggest club might be too much for Nike to even turn their heads towards Merseyside. He’d be there long after Messi, and would likely become Barcelona’s next main forward.

Cristiano is/was the full package for Nike. Multi-time Ballon d’Or winner, European champion at club and international level, even being fluent in English increased his marketable value, but he’s 35 in February and Nike will be keen to write the perfect script for his successor.

Could Mbappé ever be considered as the world’s best while playing in Ligue 1? We’ll let you answer that, but should the player seek a move away then you can be sure Nike will be flexing their muscles to make their clubs look a far more appealing prospect to Mbappé than Real Madrid.