MILAN: Internazionale are close to finalising an extension to its shirt sponsorship deal with tyre manufacturer Pirelli and thgus maintain one of the longest and most historic club/copany connections in European football.

The renewal will run for five years, from 2016-17 to 2020-21 and will be worth a reported €9m per year plus bonus payments.

Pirelli has been Inter’s shirt sponsor for 20 years but the link goes back to the 1920s when the company’s owner, Piero Pirelli, financed the construction of the San Siro stadium which they share with neioghbours AC Milan.

“This long-standing relationship is based on trust and the close relationship that Inter and Pirelli have built over the many years of their successful partnership which has enabled the strengthening of both brands in Italy and abroad, in particular in such important markets as China,” Inter said.

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