CELTIC POISED FOR BUMPER DEAL

The SPFL champions’ current contract with Nike expires at the end of this season and now the Parkhead club are in talks with the Boston-based company.

New Balance want to break into the football market and challenge the likes of Nike, Puma and Adidas.

Liverpool and Stoke City have signed up for the next campaign along with Spanish outfit Seville and Porto in Portugal.

And they are now targeting the Hoops in a bid to boost their portfolio with the Glasgow giants’ global brand appealing to New Balance bosses.

Any deal would end a decade-long association between Celtic and Nike after they signed a five-year extension to their initial deal which kicked in in 2010 and was reported to be worth up to £29million.

Talks between Celtic and New Balance are ongoing. At their football launch, General Manager Richard Wright said: “The competition for this market share is intense, but New Balance has made its name by never shying away from a challenge.”

Manchester City quartet Vincent Kompany, Samir Nasri, Jesus Navas, Alvaro Negredo, currently on loan at Valencia, and Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsey were just some of the names who turned out at a star-studded launch of New Balance Football at events in London and New York on Wednesday.