Liverpool are expected to announce at least one new signing before the end of the month, but their official unveilings will not be able to feature Adidas kits.
Jeremie Frimpong has already completed his medical and, all being well, will become Liverpool’s first signing of the summer.
The Dutchman’s £29.5 million move from Bayer Leverkusen is yet to be confirmed, but a formal announcement could land within days.
While Frimpong will have been interviewed at the AXA Training Centre along with an official photoshoot, that will not feature the kit he will be wearing next season.
That comes due to the switchover between Nike and Adidas – Liverpool’s new kit supplier from 2025/26 in a deal worth upwards of £60 million a season – not taking place until August 1.
* Next season’s Adidas home kit, according to reliable leaks.
Liverpool’s contract with Nike does not expire until the end of July, meaning unless an early termination can be agreed Arne Slot‘s side will wear the current season’s kit into the start of pre-season.
It also means that any new signings would not be unveiled in Adidas gear as that would also violate the club’s agreement with their existing supplier.
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Whether Frimpong is unveiled in a Liverpool kit at all remains to be seen, but it is certainly possible that, with a deal wrapped up before the campaign ends, he is seen wearing Nike.
The same is likely for left-back Milos Kerkez if he makes the move from Bournemouth and attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz if the Reds are successful in tempting him from Leverkusen.
Liverpool need to negotiate early exit from Nike
This situation is certainly not ideal for Liverpool or Adidas from a marketing perspective, which could prompt negotiations for an early exit from their deal with Nike.
No such agreement has been made at this stage if the latest update from the Mail‘s Lewis Steele is anything to go by.
Frimpong will be among those to report to the AXA for the start of pre-season in July, with Liverpool due to tour the Far East with friendlies against AC Milan in Hong Kong on July 26 and Yokohama F. Marinos in Japan on July 30.
As it stands both of those games will be played wearing Nike kits, and given how lucrative these pre-season trips are considered, Liverpool and Adidas would be eager to agree terms to wear the new kits while away.
