New sponsor deal Ribery causes transfer rumours

German tabloid Bild claims that Bayern Munich attacker and French international Franck Ribery (25) has signed a new sponsorship deal with sports supplier Nike.

Ribéry would have extended the contract that expires in 2010 until 2014, which was confirmed to the tabloid by Nike spokesman Olaf Markoff. The Frenchman would receive a fee of 1,2 million euro a year.

Bild claims that Ribéry could have broken a clause in his contract with Bayern that states that when his original deal with Nike runs out in 2010, he would have to change to Bayern sponsor Adidas if the German sports supplier offered him the same terms. Adidas could nevertheless have given up the race after a meeting between Adidas chief executive Herbert Hainer and Alain Migliaccio, the agent of Ribéry.

Asked if Ribéry is preparing a move to a "Nike team" (read more here), Bayern Munich chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge told the tabloid that this doesn't change the club's stand: "His sponsorship contract does not affect our contractual relationship with Franck Ribéry. Nothing has changed: we are not letting him go under any circumstances."

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